To Reclaim A Birthright
by TabbyBri
Summary: A young lion, destined to be king, is instead driven from his home by a senseless act of violence. The rogue lion who killed his parents is now king of Mikazo's pride. Mikazo must grow and become strong to save his pride from the rogue's harsh reign. He arrives at the Pride Lands where Simba and his pride help him develop into the lion he will need to became to reclaim his pride.
1. The Beginning

The sun rose slowly above the horizon, casting a golden glow over the Pride Lands. The animals who lived all throughout the land began to stir, fluttering from their nests and stepping from the grassy beds they had made for themselves among their fellows as the slight wind drifting across the land brought with it the scent of morning dew and the warmth of sunlight.

The silence of the new dawn was broken by the sound of a lion's roar. The call, deep and commanding, echoed far across the lands as an announcement and a summons to all who lived there. Those who had not yet awakened rose quickly at the call, and all who heard it throughout the land turned in the direction from which it had come.

One by one, animals of all shapes and sizes heeded the call and began walking, flying and slithering toward a huge stone structure that stood proudly in the distance, silhouetted against the brightening sky. It was a massive structure of jutting stone that pierced high into the sky, and from which issued a promontory which was supported by a smaller but no less imposing mass of stone. At the base of the promontory, nearly halfway up the stone structure, a cave was nestled into the stone, leading deep back into the monument. It was in this cave the one who had called the summons lived, and this one who had called for his subjects was none other than the king of all the animals in this sprawling territory.

The animals continued to come, predators traveling peacefully alongside prey, for this was an event during which there was to be no hunting, no spilled blood. All the carnivores were aware of the restrictions which would remain in place until the ceremony's end, and they respected the law on this matter.

Finally, every animal in the land, from the zebras to the elephants and giraffes, from the cheetahs to the birds, primates and mice, were all gathered around the structure, waiting expectantly. All knew what the summons meant, had known that this event would come soon, and knew also that the ceremony the call announced would no doubt begin shortly. Even so, there was an air of impatience over the crowd of animals, especially noticeable in the youngest of them, many of whom continually shifted and fidgeted until- and sometimes even after- their parents reminded them to be still. The coming event was one of the most important that could take place in the land, and young and old alike were finding it difficult to contain their excitement. Murmured conversations, quiet but animated, were taking place all throughout the gathering.

As the sun rose higher and turned the sky into a pale blue, an ancient but still agile mandrill made his way through the throng of animals and climbed quickly up the rocky path to the promontory that jutted from the monolith, making his way up the slope with graceful ease. On this promontory, not far from the cave, a brown lion with a dark brown mane waited. He was an adult, though still relatively young, with a thin but powerful build. The lion's green eyes were glimmering with such excitement and joy that the scar on his face that ran over his left eye was almost unnoticeable, and his soft gaze, bright with love, was fixed on the beautiful lioness next to him.

She was of about the same age as the lion who sat next to her watching her with such adoration, though perhaps a few months younger, and her form was slim and graceful. Her golden fur, which was itself a bright shade, was further brightened by the light of the newly rising sun, and her red-brown eyes shone with happiness. She was laying on her stomach with a small cub curled contentedly in the fold of her forelegs, which were wrapped around him. The young cub had a rich brown, almost mahogany, pelt, soft and fluffy with his young age, and his sides rose and fell with his breath in a light rhythm. He made a soft snuffling sound as, even in his sleep, he nuzzled deeper into his mother, a contented expression on his young face. His closed eyes concealed their color.

Behind these three lions sat a larger golden lion, one with a much thicker build than that of the younger brown lion. He wore a magnificent red mane, and he was watching the mother and child with pride glowing in his eyes. A cream-colored lioness sat close next to him, her shoulder brushing his as she, too, watched the family and the ceremonial presentation, also obviously filled with pride. Adding to the gathering, a small bird with a large orange beak was perched on the red-maned lion's shoulder, watching the scene with a pleased expression, his head cocked at an angle. Not far from those three, a plump, reddish-brown warthog stood with a meerkat sitting on his head, both grinning widely as they, too, kept their gazes on the lion, lioness, and cub.

In the shadowy cave behind them it was possible to make out the gleaming eyes of the rest of the pride, many of whom were sitting or laying, though a few were on their paws as they all watched the event unfold. A dark tawny lioness with a rough, tussled bearing and rather lean form stood in the mouth of the cave, the tuft of fur on her head nestled between her striking blue eyes. Her gaze, too, was fixed on the family of three, and there was a slight smile on her muzzle.

The mandrill made it to the top of the massive rock and stepped onto the promontory. The gourds on the walking stick he carried in one hand were stirred by his rocking gait and they rattled together, making a soft clacking sound as he approached. As the mandrill walked up to the family of lions, the dark-maned lion stood and dipped his head respectfully. But, to his obvious surprise, the old mandrill chuckled fondly and grabbed him in a hug. The lion awkwardly patted the mandrill's back with his large paw, still seeming surprised but smiling nonetheless, clearly pleased by the fond greeting.

The bright orange lioness stood to greet the mandrill as well, her movements quick and excited, even as she was careful not to be rough as she picked up her cub by the scruff of his neck. Woken from his nap, the cub yawned, stretched out all four of his paws as best as he could while dangling from his mother's mouth, and opened his red-brown eyes. They were a reflection of his mother's eyes. He ran one fore-paw over his face as though to scrub his sleepiness away, and then looked at the various animals around him curiously.

The mandrill, who was a powerful Shaman and a close friend of the king and queen of this land, stepped back from the dark lion. At a slight nod from the lioness, he gently took the cub from her mouth. He held the tiny cat securely in his long arms as he turned and walked toward the tip of the rocky monolith's promontory; Pride Rock, the grandest, most magnificent structure in the territory of the Pride Lands.

An expectant hush lay over the animals below, their low conversations having trailed off as the mandrill approached the tip of the promontory. As he reached the edge, he held the cub up high for all to see, presenting the future king of the Pride Lands to the animals gathered below.

With the trumpeting of elephants, the screeches of monkeys, the calls of birds, the whooping cries of zebra, and the roar of leopards, the animals enthusiastically sounded their approval; a cacophony of sounds blending into one massive din that rose and fell for several long moments. Then as they all fell silent, one by one, the many animals of the Savannah bowed deeply. The cub of Kovu and Kiara had been presented. And the great Circle of Life continues.

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On the outskirts of the Pride Lands, just outside its borders, a young lion, almost out of cubhood but still not yet an adult, sat. He had a light brown coat, while his muzzle, chest, and the toes on his paws were the color of rich cream. His deep brown mane was still rather short, yet. His body was thin from months of hunger, his ribs visible through his fur, and his pelt was ragged from travel, but he was still a powerful lion. Though his head was lifted high, his narrow shoulders were slumped and his ears were flattened so they nearly disappeared into his thin-furred mane. His light silvery-blue eyes appeared haunted as he looked out at the dark, barren land, beyond which lay his former home.

His sleep had been fitful, his dreams filled with the faces of his mother and father. He'd dreamed of a rogue lion in the prime of his life, one who had come to his home and to his family uninvited and unwelcome. Arrogant and cruel, the outsider had challenged his father, the king, for the ruler-ship of the pride. Hodari had fought with all his strength, but had been overpowered by the vicious rogue.

Though his son was quite young, Hodari had been older. His dark brown coat had become streaked with gray and his powerful body had slowly begun to weaken as he'd aged. Mikazo had been born to Hodari and Kawanja, a kind-hearted, reddish-brown lioness, late in their lives. As they'd told their son, they had, in fact, almost given up hope of ever having a cub. But they were king and queen of their pride, and they had needed an heir. At that time, there had been no young lions in the pride to select and train as heir. Then Mikazo was born. His parents had been beyond thrilled. As they had always made it abundantly clear, in their eyes, having an heir was suddenly just a special bonus that paled into insignificance beside the fact that they had a son.

There was no doubt that Mikazo had been loved, and he was grateful for that. But he almost wished he hadn't been. Perhaps if they hadn't been close, it would have been less painful to see the powerful, dark tawny rogue strike the final blow to the king, Hodari. Mikazo closed his eyes, remembering his father's final moments, how the mighty king had fought for his pride to his final breath- how his best, heroic efforts had been in vain, and he had fallen before the attacking rogue in the bloody climax to a battle that Mikazo knew would forever haunt his nightmares. Tears left dark tracks along Mikazo's muzzle, and fell to the dry, barren ground beneath his paws as grief washed over him in painful, all too familiar waves. _Dad._

But the nightmare the rogue had brought with him had not ended there, with the death of the father Mikazo had so loved and admired. The rogue hadn't been expecting Kawanja to throw herself at his throat, extended claws intending to do to him what he had just done to her mate. It hadn't mattered though, as he had simply jerked his head to the side in time to avoid a fatal slash. Kawanja's claws had torn uselessly through his thick, dark mane, ripping patches of fur free but doing no true harm to the rogue. And Mikazo had watched, paralyzed by horror, unable to do anything to help as his mother landed heavily on the ground. She stumbled from the force of her miss-aimed attack, her snarl choking off into a deeper growl. She had then tried to fling herself at the rogue once more, driven by rage and grief, but before she could finish the leap, he had knocked her paws out from under her with one vicious swipe.

The rogue lion had then pinned Mikazo's mother to the ground. Her attempts to thrash free, to retaliate, had been in vain, and the rogue's powerful body had not once shifted, despite her efforts. His teeth were flashing as he'd lunged at her throat.

The only comfort Mikazo had was it had been quick. His mother hadn't suffered. The rogue had then stood, both of Mikazo's parents laying dead at his paws, and announced to the horrified pride that he, by right of combat, was now the king. Unfortunately, he had that right. By law the pride was now his.

Then, suddenly, Mikazo had realized through his haze of shock and grief that he was in great danger. The law allowed the challenger, if he was victor, to kill all cubs and adolescents in the pride, those who had not yet reached full adulthood, both male and female. Thus none could grow up to challenge him. And the new king had been only too willing to add Mikazo's life to the list of those he had ended.

Mikazo, still a young lion, had been attacked by the new king. He'd tried to kill the young Mikazo.

None in his pride had been allowed to help him. He remembered how the new king had stalked toward him, claws digging deep into the earth as he advanced, his eyes gleaming with cruel anticipation of the kill. Mikazo had done the only thing he could think of, he'd run. Of course, there had been little chance of getting away; he couldn't outrun a full grown lion, not with his more lanky, youthful form, not with his less-developed muscles which granted him less speed then did those of a full adult. But they'd been his lands. And he knew all of the places full grown lions couldn't possibly fit. So he ran, disgusted with himself for running away from the lion who had killed his parents, shocked and shaking with grief, his mind blurred by the pain of loss. But he was little more than a cub, only barely an adolescent- and in those moments of terror and emotional pain, he had been reduced to the mindset of a frightened cub, and had acted on instinct. And he had escaped. He had run from the only home he had ever known. And he just kept running.

Luckily the area around where he'd lived had plenty of water. And though he was too inexperienced and too young to catch the bigger animals, such as antelope, without working with other lions, he could catch smaller ones, just enough to keep him alive. He remembered how his father, King Hodari, had taught him how to hunt, with lessons in the early morning and those in twilight, that had, quite often, ended with Mikazo pouncing on his father rather than on his prey. It had been just weeks before the king's death.

Though there had been times Mikazo was so sad and weary that he wondered why he bothered to continue eating and drinking, why he bothered to hunt for prey and look for rivers and lakes, he had still continued on. He knew that he couldn't give into his grief, his exhaustion, both physical and mental, that urged him to lay down and give up, and that, intense though that desire sometimes became, it wasn't in his nature to do so.

So he had gone on, living as a rogue himself, now. He'd continued traveling, hoping to find some way to help his pride. And now, two months after the terrible incident that had driven him from his home, he'd arrived here, standing here in this desolate land. The ground here was dry and webbed with deep cracks, long robbed of all moisture, and whenever the wind blew, dust clogged the air in thick, choking clouds. He didn't know the name of the place he had found himself in, he just knew that he didn't like it. Too exhausted to find a more desirable place to rest, he had gone to sleep. And then he had dreamed again the terrible dream that had haunted him for months.

Mikazo opened his eyes and tried to banish the painful memory, pushing the dream and the events that had caused it to the back of his mind. He knew that his pride mates needed help. He had to find a way to dethrone the new king and take back his birthright as the true king. He may be a rogue now, but he was still a prince. The prince of a pride in need. More than anything, he needed to find a way to help his pride mates.

He knew, though, that he couldn't defeat the rogue by himself, not at his age. The rogue was powerful, a full adult with a thick, muscled frame, and Mikazo had seen just how effectively, how lethally the rogue could fight. If he was going to defeat the rogue who now ruled his pride, he needed help. So he set out to find other lions, to make friends, to bring help back with him. Surely there must be some lion who would be willing to help him save his pride.

He had not run into any other prides in the time he'd been traveling. He could tell that lions had lived in this place, this barren, dusty land, once before, though he couldn't imagine why anyone would choose to live in this sort of territory. Perhaps they had realized what a poor choice this part of the land was and moved on, because he was certain none had stayed here for a least a few months; the scent of lions was barely detectable, the paw-prints that had been pressed into the barren ground were blurred now by wind-blown dust.

Pushing himself to his paws, still shaking slightly from the dream that was also a memory, he padded over to the edge of the desolate lands, heading up over a long, stretching rise. As he reached the top of the rise, Mikazo's eyes widened and his breath ceased in awe.

A beautiful place lay beyond, the complete opposite of the land he stood in, jarring him with the abrupt change. He could see wide green plains speckled with trees and plants as far as the eye could see. Animals of all species were grazing upon them, scattered herds in every direction. Elephants were stretching their trunks and giraffes were stretching their necks to reach the leaves from the tall trees. Gazelle, antelope, and zebra were pulling the grass from the ground. Birds of all feathers were perching in the trees and flying over-head in large flocks as well as smaller groups.

From the added height of the rise on which Mikazo stood, he could see that the land had several lakes of varying sizes, as well as a wide river, the water of which was turned to a burnished gold by the sunlight. The sun, which had baked the ground of the desolate area Mikazo currently stood in and had dried it to a hideous, lifeless husk, cast a beautiful glow to the land he now looked upon. It was one of the more pleasant places Mikazo had ever seen, and it was abundant with life.

He walked over to the edge of the green land, where he could smell the scent-markers of a lion pride; a strong message to those who approached, easy to read for all animals. He had finally found a lion pride's territory, and he could completely understand why they had chosen this place to live.

Though he had been trying to find lions to help for the last two months, there was some risk in heading into the territory of another pride, he knew. He knew that chances were that if he, a rogue, were seen trespassing on the lions' land, he would be driven out, if not killed. But he needed their help. For the sake of his pride mates and of his pride, he needed to find kindly lions who he could ask for assistance in dethroning the cruel rogue lion. Those most important reasons aside, it would also be the first time he had seen his own kind in two long, lonely months, and he couldn't wait.

Flicking his tail in sudden excitement, he bounded over the scent-markers, and into the unknown.


	2. Meeting the Pride

After the presentation ended and the audience of animals dispersed, Kiara took her son, Daka, back into the shadow-draped cave. Kovu trailed just behind them. The family laid down together not far from the entrance, in a warm pool of sunlight. Kiara began to wash Daka with Kovu close beside her, watching contently with his paws tucked under his chest. Both of the adult lions purred loudly, and even Daka was too thrilled with his recent presentation and proud of having been the main attraction to complain about his bath.

A short time later, Simba, the king of the Pride Lands and Kiara's father, walked into the cave and up to the three. His golden fur was glowing in the sun that poured into the wide mouth of the cave, and his thick red mane shone like fire. "Kiara, Kovu, the feast is about to begin," he called as he approached, grinning. "If you wait much longer, you're going to miss it- I don't think that the prey is going to last long, considering the eaters in our pride." He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "Aren't you coming?"

Kiara immediately bounced to her feet and picked up her cub once more, whose coat was soft and gleaming from his bath. "You bet!" she exclaimed eagerly through a mouth-full of fur, her words garbled.

Simba looked at Kovu questioningly, who also jumped up as he nodded. "Count me in," he said happily.

With a nod of his own and his fond smile still in place, Simba turned and walked swiftly toward the entrance of the cave. He led them to the bottom of Pride Rock, where the prey that had been caught for the feast was being kept in the back of a large, cool cave that shielded the meat from the hot sun. The animals had been hunted down earlier that day while it was still dark. As was traditional, the parents of the newborn- or newly presented, if the cub in question was too old to be considered a newborn- prince or princess, as well as the current king and queen, did the hunting. Though Daka was not quite a newborn, as he would indignantly inform anyone who thought otherwise, he had not yet reached even his second month of life and still had much growing to do.

Kiara climbed carefully down the rocks from the cave, trying not to jostle her small son any more than necessary. Kovu followed, bounding easily down the large stones. The rest of the pride filed out behind them, all of them looking cheerful and upbeat at the prospect of the presentation feast. Queen Nala, Simba's lovely mate and co-ruler of the Pride Lands, caught up to him and padded along at his side. Simba and Nala led the way to the cave where two large animals, a buffalo and an antelope, had been stored since their morning hunt. Kiara had killed the antelope herself. Her hunting skills had improved quite a lot. Though not the worst hunter in the pride, she had previously lacked a certain stealth while pursuing her prey.

Simba's friends, Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog, were sitting in the grass outside the lower, prey-filled cave. Understandably, the duo didn't want to be in there as the lions ate. They would be going bug hunting instead. There was an area near Pride Rock that had swarms of insects of all kinds, and as both were quite excited about, they'd be having a feast of their own.

Pumbaa ran up to the lions with Timon still perched on his head, as he almost always was. "Hey, Simba!" Timon said, a trace of indignation in his voice. "Do you really want to skip out on _bugs_ for a bunch of _meat?_" The meerkat, a devout insectivore, made a face, clearly disgusted at the idea of eating meat.

Simba nodded, his expression both sympathetic and slightly amused. "Sorry, Timon. But yeah. Besides it's a tradition. I have to be there. But you guys go on ahead, and eat a few of the juiciest bugs for me, alright?"

Timon groaned in exasperation. "Lions! Aii!"

"Well, see you, Simba," Pumbaa said in his usual friendly manner. Then he trotted on with Timon, grunting as he headed toward the bug-infested field. Looking after his friends for a moment, Simba shook his head with a smile and then started into the cave. The smell of the meat was enticing, and Simba felt his mouth begin to water, causing him to speed up to a brisk walk. Nala, Kiara, Kovu, and the rest of the pride followed.

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After the feast, at which the lions of the pride ate everything but the bones and stingy gristle, a young lion named Kimada decided to take a walk. He was hoping to burn off a little of the huge amount of meat he'd eaten. The feast had left him feeling sluggish and heavy, and Kimada was itching with the urge to stretch his legs and use some of his energy.

Kimada was a young lion, almost an adult but not quite, with a shining reddish-gold coat the color of a blazing mid-day sun. His still-growing mane was a fiery brown and he had a tuft of fur that hung down his forehead from his mane, partially obscuring one eye no matter how often his shook his head to move the strands out of his eyesight. His tail-tip was the same shade as his mane, though his muzzle, chest, and the toes on his paws were a light golden-tan. A healthy young lion, Kimada was quite thick-shouldered for a lion his age, though his shoulders were not yet as wide as they would someday be when he reached full adulthood.

He was walking along the edge of a waterhole, watching the herds drink with bright interest, but he was far too full to think about hunting quite yet. A few animals raised their heads to cautiously watch him pass, their bodies tensed to sprint away should he make the slightest threatening move toward them. Once convinced that he wasn't planning to hunt them, however, they relaxed one by one and went back to drinking and grazing.

Feeling slightly restless, Kimada picked up his pace until he was trotting, then running with the wind whipping through his mane. He moved across the plains as quickly as he could manage, enjoying the feeling of the stretch and pull of his muscles being put to the test, and of racing across the Savannah, bounding up and down small hills, and weaving around the occasional boulder. He ran until he was out of breath. Then he slowed to a walk when he realized he'd run all the way to the edge of the pride's land. A bit farther and he'd be in the Outlands.

As he stopped to look out at the barren lands, his whiskers twitched as he caught sight of something out of his peripheral vision. Turning to look more closely, he blinked in surprise. There was a form heading toward the Pride Lands' border as it approached from the Outlands; and as he looked more closely, Kimada realized that it looked like a lion.

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Mikazo ran across the scent-markers, looking around and taking in the sights. He felt a glow of happiness. He hadn't seen lands this beautiful since he had been with his own pride, and smelling the fresh scent of lions for the first time in two months was soothing to the ache of loneliness that had plagued him from almost the first hour since he'd fled from his pride's lands. But he hadn't gotten far into the gorgeous lands before he heard a voice yell, "Stop!"

Mikazo froze with one paw still raised and looked around for the speaker, feeling slightly panicked. He hadn't expected to be found so quickly, and in his excitement, he'd thrown caution to the winds.

A reddish-gold lion was loping toward him from some distance away. The lion's mane was a magnificent red-brown that glowed in the Savannah sun. His bright blue eyes watched Mikazo suspiciously as he neared, and Mikazo swallowed, wondering if he'd have to run.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in our lands?" the lion asked. He stopped in front of Mikazo and stared at him. His stance was not overly threatening, though he held himself tense, as if ready to leap should he feel the need. Mikazo felt his claws start to slide out in an instinctive response to the uneasy fear he felt, but knowing that exposed claws would only make the other lion more likely to believe he was a threat, Mikazo yanked his claws back into their sheaths before they could fully emerge.

"I'm Mikazo. And I'm sorry about coming into your lands. I would have waited at the border, but it has been so long since I've seen other lions that I got a little over excited. I'm not here to cause trouble." Mikazo tried to speak evenly, but the lion's sudden appearance and confrontation had thrown him off balance, and so he heard the nervousness in his own voice despite his efforts.

The other lion stared at him for a few more seconds, then relaxed. "Well, that's good. I didn't think you looked like you intended harm, but if you had been..." He let out a slight growl, letting the intruding cat know that he would protect his pride and lands if need be, and then he straightened fully from his crouched pose, his demeanor brightening quickly to one of interest and curiosity. "My name is Kimada. So why are you here? And what do you mean you haven't seen any lions in so long?" Kimada asked quizzically.

"Well, um, I used to be in a pride quite a way from here," Mikazo explained as his shoulders slumped, relieved that this lion, Kimada, had not attacked him. "But I had to leave. I've haven't seen any lions since then." He paused briefly, then added, "It's been about two months."

Kimada frowned and tilted his head, clearly bothered. "That doesn't sound like any fun. Why did you have to leave?"

Mikazo sighed. He had been hoping to avoid that question for as long as he could. It was hard to think about, let alone say out loud. The memory was still very painful. Forcing himself to speak, Mikazo said, "A rogue lion came to my pride and challenged my father. My father was the king, his name was Hodari. The rogue won, and killed him. Then when my mother, Kawanja, attacked him, he killed her, too."

Mikazo's voice was rough with grief. Kimada looked horrified. Taking a deep breath, which caught slightly in his throat, Mikazo continued, "Then he was king and he was going to kill me. It was his right, I suppose, but I could hardly let him. I ran into a cave I had discovered months ago. It had lots of small tunnels, and the rogue was too big to get in after me. I went out the back way and kept on running. I've been traveling for a while, trying to find help. That led me here," he finished, relieved to be done. He hadn't been able to hold back the tears. Though he was thankfully not weeping openly in front of this unknown lion, he could feel the dampness in his eyes, the prickling heat behind them. He was sure Kimada noticed, though he didn't say anything about it.

"I... I'm sorry, Mikazo," he said, looking at him with sympathy. He paused a moment, clearly thinking about something. "Well, maybe we can help. I've never known our king, Simba, to turn away a lion in need."

Something in Kimada's tone made Mikazo think he spoke from experience. But he didn't think he could ask him about it outright. "Thanks, Kimada, really. Can you take me to him?" he asked instead, focusing on the more important part of what Kimada had just offered, the part that gave Mikazo hope. Perhaps now was when he would finally be able to find help for his pride and pride mates.

"Sure!" Kimada answered brightly. "Follow me!" With no more warning than that, he turned around and sprinted off, leaving Mikazo to scramble after him.

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As Kimada led the way toward Pride Rock, he could hear Mikazo padding quietly through the grass behind him. He was really quite glad that Mikazo wasn't a invader; it wouldn't have been a fair fight had he had to attack. The lion was painfully thin. That, and while Kimada loved a good tussle in play, he didn't like the thought of fighting another lion with true intent to harm.

"Hey, Kimada? What's your king like?" Mikazo asked suddenly, surprising Kimada, as he had been silent for most of the way back now. They were almost halfway back to Pride Rock by this point.

Kimada looked back at him. He could see a spark of worry in the lion's sliver-blue eyes. It was clear he was anxious about how he'd be received by Kimada's king. Kimada dropped back a few steps until he was walking even with Mikazo, the better to talk with him more easily.

"Simba? Well, he's a really good king. And very fair," Kimada said reassuringly. "For instance, there was a pride of lions living in the Outlands, that place you just came from. And the pride was led by a lioness named Zira who wanted revenge on Simba." Mikazo cocked his head in confused interest, and Kimada hesitated. "Well, it's a long story," he said. "I'll tell ya about why she wanted revenge later, if there's time. Anyway, Zira had a son named Kovu, and she decided Kovu should trick Simba into trusting him. Then, when he got the chance, he was supposed to kill Simba.

"She trained him most of his life to kill Simba, from when he was a cub to, oh, a bit older than we are, I think. At first, Kovu planned to do just that. At one point he saved Simba's daughter, Kiara, from danger that Zira had put her in. So because Kovu saved her, Simba owed a debt to Kovu and had to accept him into our pride. When he was here, he tried to take the chance to attack Simba. Luckily, he was interrupted by Kiara, but she didn't realize what Kovu had been trying to do. The important thing was that his chance to attack Simba was gone, at least for then.

"Anyway, Kovu and Kiara became close, and eventually Kovu turned on Zira rather than hurt Kiara and Simba. Kovu's sister, Vitani, saw how determined Kovu was, and after Kiara told everybody that they shouldn't fight each other, that both prides were the same, really, Vitani decided that there had been enough war. She came over to our side, too, which made Zira threaten to kill her- her own daughter! The rest of Zira's pride couldn't believe she would kill her own daughter, so they left Zira and came to us too.

"Zira attacked Simba, but Kiara jumped in front of her, they both went over the cliff by the river, and Zira ended up falling into the river rapids. Kiara held on though, thankfully, and climbed back up the cliff. Then Simba accepted Kovu, Vitani, and the rest of their pride into our pride, even though they had just fought a war against each other. Of course, I joined the pride after this all happened, so I didn't see it myself. But I was told about it. So I'd say Simba's a very good king."

Mikazo had been listening intently, quite interested in the story. He was shocked and horrified by what Kimada had said of the lioness named Zira, and was glad she was gone now and couldn't cause anyone any more trouble. As much as he hated to think that lions like her existed in the world, he was all too aware they did. He had been struck with the cold reality of what kind of evil lurked among the good in the world two months ago, and the horror of that event was something Mikazo would never forget.

He was encouraged, though, to hear Simba's part in the story, and from the way Kimada spoke of him, it was obvious he respected and liked his king. "Yeah, he sure sounds like a great king. It sounds like something my father would do... would have done," Mikazo corrected himself with a sigh, closing his eyes against the twinge of pain that lashed through his chest.

Kimada looked at him again, his expression sad and somewhat worried. "Hey, I saw a big flock of flamingos back there, are you hungry?" he asked abruptly.

Mikazo paused briefly, then nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "Yeah, starving!"

"Okay, then. Wait here," Kimada instructed, waving a paw at the patch of grass Mikazo was standing on to indicate it, and then he spun around and ran off back the way they had come.

Mikazo watched him go, slightly surprised at Kimada's sudden departure, but he sat down and curled his tail around his paws, settling down to wait.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Kimada prowled through the grass, making hardly a sound as he retraced his steps toward where he'd seen the prey. It hadn't just been a way to change the subject to something that was less painful for his new friend, though that had been part of it. He just felt that Mikazo could really use a good meal, thin as he was.

A short distance away from where the other lion sat waiting, there was a lake where flamingos were feeding on the water plants, pulling the slippery vegetation from the sandy lake bottom from which they grew. Kimada couldn't understand why the herbivores found plants so tasty. He, himself, thought that they looked rather disgusting, and they certainly didn't smell tasty. Some smelt _nice_, he supposed, but definitely not tasty. But to each his own.

Once near the lakeside, he pressed himself to the ground as he watched the plump and oblivious pink-feathered birds eat. He soon began to pull himself forward, one paw at a time. As he did so, he kept his tail still so it didn't rustle the grass around him. The birds had no idea he was there.

When he was close enough, Kimada pushed his hind paws hard on the ground and leapt at the flamingos, the ground under him becoming a blur. The entire flock shrieked in unison and took flight, their wings beating furiously as they fled. Landing in the shallow lake-edge water where the flock had been, Kimada shoved himself up in a second leap and caught one before it could fly out of reach. He pinned it to the ground where it had been feeding and finished it quickly, ending its life as painlessly as he could before it could even squawk in panic.

Then he picked the limp, water-drenched bird up in his teeth, turned and walked out of the lake, breaking into a trot with his prize held proudly as he headed back to where Mikazo sat.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

When Mikazo saw Kimada coming back, he stood, flicking his tail as a new jolt of hunger overwhelmed him at the sight of the flamingo hanging from Kimada's jaws.

" 'ey!" Kimada greeted him, his cheerful voice muffled by feathers. He padded over and dropped the bird at Mikazo's paws. "It didn't stand a chance," he said, grinning proudly. "Go ahead. I ate earlier."

Mikazo dipped his head gratefully. "Thanks!" he exclaimed, and dug in, demolishing the meal in minutes. When he was done, he licked a paw and started swiping it over his red-tinged muzzle, feeling happily full. He hadn't been able to find much prey as large as this flamingo very often in the last two months, and while he had certainly found plenty of mice and a few smaller birds, prey of that sort, a more filling meal was more than appreciated.

"So," Kimada said, from where he sat nearby, "ready to meet my pride?"

Finished washing, Mikazo nodded and stood.

They set off again. The sun had risen until no trace of the dawn was left, the pale pink and amber light of that early hour replaced with white and gold illumination. The land was brilliantly bright, the light from the sun spreading over the land like an animal's pelt.

Eventually, Mikazo could see the tip of a large monolith in the distance, growing steadily bigger as they walked. Mikazo nearly tripped in shock as he took in the true scope of the monolith. The pride's home was incredible, and Mikazo was almost envious. The cave his own pride lived in, his home, had been very nice, plenty large enough to comfortably house his entire pride, but it paled next to this.

"So what do you think?" Kimada asked, looking over at Mikazo with a cocky grin. "That's Pride Rock!"

"It's awesome!" Mikazo exclaimed, his eyes wide as he looked at the jutting monolith.

Kimada's walk became almost a strut at these words, his head held high and chest puffed out. It was obvious he was holding back his bragging only with great difficulty, and Mikazo couldn't help but be amused by Kimada's reaction. Although, he guessed he would have felt just as proud in Kimada's place.

As they neared the monolith, Mikazo started to pick out the tan and brown shapes of lions laying on the structure. Some were dozing peacefully while others spread out in the more sunny areas, awake but lounging lazily in the sunlight.

Kimada bounded forward without concern, obviously at home here. But, struck by sudden nervousness, and rather embarrassingly, some shyness, Mikazo hung back. He had never seen so many lions in one pride. He counted over fifteen, and he couldn't see inside the cave, where more lions might be resting. Mikazo's own pride, counting himself and his parents, had had seven members. He swallowed, feeling a rush of both fear and self-consciousness.

Noticing that his new friend was lagging behind, Kimada called back, "Hey, don't worry, they won't hurt 'cha. Not if you don't try to hurt them."

Kimada's tone was light and easy, and he seemed very sure, which reassured Mikazo, somewhat. He picked up his pace until he was walking at Kimada's side again, though he was still tense and anxious.

They were near the foot of Pride Rock when the first few lions saw them. "Hey, who's that?" Mikazo heard a dark brown lioness with scruffy fur and an almost scrawny body ask the others. Stopping at the base of the monolith's slope with Kimada at his side, Mikazo shifted from paw to paw, awkward and edgy.

"Don't know," said another one, answering her pride mate's question. This lioness had a sleek tan coat. "I'll get Simba." She got to her paws and trotted into the cave at the top of the promontory.

The other lionesses started climbing down the slope toward Kimada and Mikazo, their expressions and body language calm. After all, the stranger was only one lion, unable to cause any harm when he was so outnumbered. And Kimada, who had brought him here, didn't seem to be worried. Mikazo knew they were right to be unconcerned. He was no threat, even if he wanted to be, which, of course, he didn't. That didn't mean he wasn't still concerned. Just because he wasn't a threat didn't necessarily mean that he wouldn't be punished for his trespassing, and the punishment for that could range anywhere from simply being sent away once again, to even being executed. He just had to hope that Kimada's positive assessment of this land's king was spot on, and he was as good a lion as he sounded.

The lioness who had gone to tell the king of the newcomer came back out. Behind her trotted a large, powerful lion with golden fur and a thick red mane, clearly the king of this pride. A cream-colored lioness with bright blue eyes walked even with him at his side while several more lionesses followed them. There was another lion in the group following the king, thinner and younger than the first. He had brown fur and a dark brown mane. A golden lioness with a slim body and a spring in her step brought up the rear and stopped in the entrance of the cave, a bright brown cub held securely in her mouth.

Kimada kept up a running commentary for Mikazo's benefit. "That's King Simba. Already told you about him, and the tan lioness is his mate, Nala. She's a brilliant fighter, and really nice. And the other two are Kovu and Kiara and their son, Daka. They're part of the Royal Family, too, of course."

Mikazo nodded uneasily, trying to push his nerves aside.

Simba bounded quickly down the rocks toward the two young lions who waited at the monolith's base. He might be a grandfather now but it was easy to see he hadn't slowed down a bit. Mikazo struggled to cease his anxious fidgeting as the king approached, his pride rebelling against the thought of seeming a coward. He was largely successful, though he could not seem to still the twitching of his tail tip.

"Kimada, who's this?" the king asked once he reached them, looking from one to the other. Mikazo felt at rush of relief as he heard no hostility in Simba's voice, only curiosity, and his next breath came more easily.

"He's called Mikazo. I found him in our territory but he isn't an invader, he comes from a pride that was taken over by a rogue. He would have been killed if he hadn't run. He was prince of his pride."

Mikazo kept his eyes on Simba as Kimada spoke. He was glad Kimada had explained for him. He didn't want to tell about his parents' deaths again.

"I already told him who you guys are," Kimada added.

Simba nodded to Kimada in acknowledgment, then turned to Mikazo, who dipped his head in respectful greeting. "I'm sorry to hear that," Simba said. "How long ago did it happen?"

"It's been two months," he said.

"And your parents, are they...?" Simba asked apologetically.

"Yeah," Mikazo said quietly.

Simba closed his eyes briefly, his reaction stronger than Mikazo would have expected from someone simply hearing about the death of a stranger's parents. It seemed to Mikazo, however, as if Simba had remembered something painful himself. Nala, as though she knew what Simba was thinking, glanced at her mate with a sympathetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Mikazo. Is there anything I can do to help?" Simba asked warmly after a short pause, opening his eyes again.

Mikazo felt a buzz of excitement at Simba's question, hopeful that perhaps the rogue lion's reign would now be a short-lived one. "Well, I actually came looking for help; the rogue who defeated my father is a cruel lion. He's... really horrible, the way he was acting, talking... the way he didn't even pause before he- before he killed them. I'm worried about my pride mates. I need to help them, I need to get my pride back from the rogue, but I don't think I can do that alone. He's too strong."

Simba nodded in understanding. "You do realize, though, that the law says only one lion can challenge the king at any one time? And whoever wins is the rightful king of that pride." He paused, then shook his head regretfully. "None of us can do that for you."

Mikazo felt as though a large, cold stone had suddenly dropped into his stomach. "I... I didn't think of that, I just want to help my pride," he said weakly. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that before. He had been driven merely by the desperate hope of helping his pride mates, and he had not spared a thought to that part of the law, had all but forgotten it entirely. He had to find a way to save his pride mates from the rogue's rule. That lion was too cruel to be anything but a tyrant, and he could not stand the thought of his friends living under such a reign.

"I'm sorry we can't help you," Simba said sincerely. "But you're welcome to stay with our pride for a while."

Mikazo felt his eyes widen in shock. "Stay with your pride? Really?" he asked incredulously.

Simba nodded, and Queen Nala said, "Really," with a smile.

Mikazo couldn't believe it. He'd come looking for help to dethrone the rogue lion who had taken over his pride, and though Simba's account on the law was true and he would not be able to have another lion fight the rogue for him, he was stunned at the offer of a place to stay. Two months he had traveled alone, often hungry and thirsty, but the worst thing of all had been his grief at the loss of his parents and the separation from his pride mates and land. The loneliness of being a rogue lion himself then had clawed at him endlessly, and this offer, this chance to be among other lions again for a while, was one he couldn't help but take.

Once he had regained his drained strength and gotten some of his health back... then he supposed he'd have to figure out what to do about the cruel rogue himself. If no one else could fight the rogue for him, then he would just have to figure out a way to do it himself. He knew he wasn't able now, and he didn't see how he could become large enough and strong enough to defeat the rogue any time soon, but he _had_ to find a way. And he had to do so as quickly as possible, for the sake of his pride mates.

"Thank you so much," Mikazo said gratefully, dipping his head in a bow to the king and queen. "If it's really alright, then I'd love to stay here for a while."

Simba nodded again, smiling. "Of course it's alright."

Kovu- who Mikazo remembered Kimada had told him was the mate of Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara- was standing at the base of Pride Rock's slope, and at Simba's words, he smirked. "You just can't help yourself, can you, Simba? Half the pride are former outsiders, including me," he teased in a good-natured manner.

Simba just shrugged.

Kiara, who had stayed up on Pride Rock to watch over Daka in case Mikazo was dangerous, came bounding down at these words, leaving Daka with the other lionesses. She stopped next to Kovu.

"Nice to meet you," she said, smiling in greeting. "I'm Kiara."

Mikazo dipped his head again. "My name's Mikazo."

"Well, welcome to the pride, Mikazo," she said cheerfully.

"Thanks." He smiled at the pretty lioness warmly.

Kimada, who had been sitting quietly, asked, "Should I show him around the Pride Lands, guys?" Mikazo noticed that Kimada's manner of address to the king and queen was quite casual, and he guessed that these two rulers were not of the type to stand on ceremony very much.

Nala nodded. "Good idea. As long as you're not tired?" she directed the last part to Mikazo.

"It's okay. I'm not tired," he said. He had just woken not that long ago, back in the barren place Kimada had called the Outlands. From what he'd seen of the Pride Lands already, it was a truly beautiful place, and he was suddenly excited to see the rest of the kingdom.

"Okay, then. Follow me!" Kimada shouted over his shoulder as he dashed out across the land, his paws blurring from their rapid movement.

A little startled by Kimada's sudden dash, though he was beginning to realize that he ought to expect that sort of thing from this lion, Mikazo bounded after him.

By the time the tour was over the sun had already begun its downward trek through the sky. Their world was beginning to darken. Tiny pinpricks of light started to appear above them, scattered loosely around the heavens among the deep reds and blues that were slowly becoming a washed-out dusky blue. The tour had lasted for most of the day, and now Mikazo could feel tiredness dragging at his paws. He was definitely tired now.

When Mikazo and Kimada returned to Pride Rock, Kimada was still talking about his favorite places on the territory, with Mikazo as an audience.

"-And there's this acacia tree that's really great to lay under, lots of shade. And there's a little lake right nearby. You can usually find some kind of prey there when they stop there for a drink. And-"

Mikazo thought that the whole place was great, though he wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Kimada. It was clear that his new friend loved his home, and Mikazo could hardly blame him. It was truly gorgeous, a magnificent sprawling land of plants and water and a seemingly endless supply of prey animals.

They started climbing the monolith. Mikazo was still surprised at being invited to stay with Simba's pride, but very happy to be around other lions again. Mikazo thought that he definitely wasn't cut out for the lone life of a rogue; he much preferred, like most lions did, the companionship of others. Simply walking with and talking with Kimada while on the tour had been deeply soothing to him after so many days of being alone.

At the top of the structure, Kimada stopped and arched his back in a stretch, his front paws pushed out in front of him with the long claws extended.

"Well," he said, standing, "this has been a fun day. And an eventful one, too! I'm gonna go to sleep now. See you tomorrow, Mikazo. Oh, and the warthog and meerkat are off limits. Pumbaa and Timon are Simba's friends, and I wouldn't want to see them get eaten, either," he added, gave Mikazo one last grin, then started to pad off into the shadows of the cave.

"Wait!" Mikazo said, catching up to Kimada's side. "Where do I sleep?"

Kimada looked surprised. "Forgot about that. Let's see, maybe there?" he said, pointing with a paw to a place near the wall. "Oh, right, that's where Nyota sleeps. Okay, then, there will do," he decided, indicating a spot near a small ledge on the left wall.

Mikazo nodded. The spot near the ledge looked pretty alright to him, and he guessed that curling up underneath the jutting ledge would be a cozy place to fall asleep. "That's a good area, thanks."

Kimada yawned. "Any time. Good night." He went to an area near the back of the cave.

Mikazo called back, "Good night!" and then he walked over to his sleeping spot. He noticed that most of the pride who were also gathered in the cave for the night were watching him. They knew why he'd come here, they'd heard him tell Simba. Still, he was new and cats were curious creatures.

Eventually, as Mikazo circled in his sleeping spot and sat down, one of the lionesses approached him. She was a dark tawny animal with a tuft of fur hanging between her blue eyes, and a slim frame that appeared almost scrawny in the shadows of the cave.

"Hey, there," she greeted him in a slightly raspy voice. "I'm called Vitani."

"Hi, my name is Mikazo. You're Kovu's sister, right?" Mikazo remembered her name from Kimada's story of how the lions from that lioness, Zira's, pride, ended up joining Simba's own pride after a war between the two. From what he could tell, Vitani looked to be around the same age as Kovu, which likely meant they were from the same litter.

She frowned slightly, an eyebrow raised and her expression somewhere between amused and displeased. "That's not how I'm usually introduced, but... yeah, he's my brother."

"Sorry. Kimada told me that you were the first of the Outsiders after Kovu to come over to Simba's side."

Vitani chuckled, the sound somewhat bitter, and narrowed her eyes so they were gleaming slits in the half-light. "Yeah, you can imagine how happy that made Mother." She shook her head and sighed heavily through clenched teeth. "Zira, I mean."

"Sorry," Mikazo said again, ducking his head as he felt a stab of guilt for bringing up a subject that was clearly a sore spot.

Vitani shrugged. "It's not your fault. Well, I came over to meet the new lion, so now that that's through, I'll say good night." With that, she walked back to her own sleeping spot.

"Good night." Mikazo laid down and tucked his tail against his side, settling in against the cool stone, which quickly began to warm with his body-heat.

For a few minutes, he just listened happily to the sounds of the lions around him as they, too, settled down to sleep. The sound of scraping paw pads and rustling fur on stone combined with soft mumblings and an occasional yawn filled the cave. It was very relaxing, and Mikazo again felt the relief of no longer being alone. Then with a wide yawn of his own, Mikazo closed his eyes and laid his head on his paws. He was asleep within moments.


	3. A Startling Discovery

**Hi! This is my first Author's Note, so I'll try my best. I've always loved the Lion King and reading, so I decided to try to write a Lion King story. I'd never written anything before now, so I hope it's okay. Turns out it's really fun to write, though sometimes hard to think of how to describe things. Still it's a lot of fun. I'm not really sure what else to put in this note, except thank you for reading my story and I hope that you like this chapter.**

Mikazo was dreaming once again, though for the first time in a while it wasn't a nightmare.

_A much younger Mikazo, about one and a half months old, with no hint yet of a mane on his head or neck, was racing around his father, trying to catch the much bigger lion's tail. Hodari kept sweeping it out of his reach at the last second, his expression both fond and mischievous as he watched his son pounce after the quick-moving tail._

_With a playful growl, Mikazo leapt upward and finally caught the tail in his tiny fore-paws. His father raised his tail high, taking Mikazo up into the air where he hung from the tufted end. His hind paws kicked through the air as he tried to tug himself up higher, but he couldn't quite manage it. He felt his claws slipping in the thick, coarse fur, and with a little, "Whoa!" he lost his grip._

_Before he had even begun to fall however, his father's massive tan-tipped paw caught him. Mikazo's breath exploded out of him as collapsed onto the soft paw-pad, back first, and his tail fell limply to rest on his fluffy stomach-fur. Hodari's laughter boomed across the land, a deep exuberant sound that made his son grin happily. Then he pulled Mikazo close to him, tucking him gently against his side. Mikazo pawed at his father's mane for a bit before his movements slowed as he started to get drowsy. With a jaw-cracking yawn, he clambered up Hodari's shoulder and neck until he was laying on his head. Once there, he buried himself contentedly in his father's thick dark brown mane and drifted off._

Mikazo felt the dream drifting away and tried to hold onto it. He wanted to stay with his father, his mother and his pride, but it fell away as dreams do.

Realizing he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, he reluctantly opened his eyes.

For a moment he looked around in confusion, unsure what he was doing in this strange cave. Then he remembered. With a sigh, he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around. Early morning sunlight was drifting into the cave, giving him plenty of light to see by.

Some of the lions scattered around the cave were still asleep, though not many. Most of this pride had, by this point, awoken. He recognized Princess Kiara, who was nearby grooming her son, Daka, with his morning bath. The cub was squirming in protest, and occasionally trying in vain to scramble away only to be restrained by his mother's paw and tugged back to her. A few feet away from Kiara and Daka was Vitani, the lioness who had greeted Mikazo the night before. The tip of her tail was twitching lazily as she lay curled loosely in a patch of sun, and it didn't seem as though she was likely to budge from that spot for a while. At first Mikazo couldn't see Kimada, then he spotted him just outside the cave.

Mikazo stood and walked toward the mouth of the cave. On his way he passed the platform in the middle of the cave where the king and queen, Simba and Nala, usually slept. At the moment it was empty.

A few of the lionesses looked his way, still curious about the new arrival. He felt a little uncomfortable under their inquisitive gazes, and turned his own eyes to the ground until he had reached the cave entrance.

He walked out of the cave into the sunlight, onto Pride Rock's promontory high above the ground, where a faint breeze was blowing through the air. Mikazo inhaled the scents of the land, of water, plants, ground, and prey, and then let his breath out in a sigh. He padded up to Kimada, who looked over at him brightly and playfully pounced toward him. "Hey, there!" Kimada said, straightening just in front of Mikazo. "Finally decided to wake up, huh?"

Mikazo raised an eyebrow, still groggy and unable to return the pounce quite yet. "Finally? The sun's barely up yet."

"And yet, it is up," Kimada countered with a grin. "Seems late to get up to me. I get up when it's still rising."

Mikazo shook his head in amusement, smiling back at his friend with some amount of incredulity. "Good for you," he said. "So, anyway, where are Simba and Nala?"

"Down at the waterhole," Kimada answered. "Did you want to talk to them?"

"No, just wondered."

"Okay, then." Kimada shook his mane and stood, his eyes bright. "So what do you want to do?"

Mikazo shrugged. "Not sure." Suddenly getting a surge of energy, the rest of his sleepiness washed away by the daylight and the rejuvenating wind, he grinned and challenged Kimada. "First one to the bottom wins?"

Kimada instantly returned his grin, accepting the challenge with enthusiasm. "You're so on!"

Kimada spun around and started jumping down Pride Rock's slope with Mikazo right behind. Mikazo's paws easily gripped the stones marked by countless generations of lion claws, and despite his breakneck speed he felt in no danger of slipping.

They reached the bottom of the slope, darting out into the grass. Kimada won by a muzzle.

Kimada stopped running and turned to Mikazo. "I win!" he said triumphantly.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Mikazo raced right passed him, his legs pumping as he forced himself to his quickest speed. "I meant the bottom of that hill!" he called back, laughing.

With a growl of pretend annoyance, Kimada sprinted after him.

Mikazo leapt down the gently sloped hill, feeling happier than he had in a while; he was surrounded by lions again and he'd made a friend. Despite everything else that had happened, at least he was no longer alone.

With one last leap, Mikazo reached the bottom of the hill a few seconds ahead of Kimada. Kimada stopped next to him, and both lions stood panting, out of breath from their race.

After a moment, once his breathing had evened out, Mikazo grinned and put on a cocky attitude, lifting his head high and giving Kimada a sideways glance. "So, I guess this means _I _win!"

Kimada grinned back, one eyebrow raised with an unimpressed air. "Oh, really?" And he threw himself at Mikazo, knocking him down, rolling him onto his back and pinning him there.

"Yes, really," Mikazo answered, and with a quick kick of his hind paw knocked Kimada's own out from under him, and then, while he was off balance, shoved him off to one side and jumped up.

Kimada stumbled, then regained his paws and stared at Mikazo for a second, looking surprised. Then he laughed and sprang at him again.

They played for a little while longer until they were both tired out, and then both slumped down into the grass for a rest. Mikazo had been having so much fun, laughing and just enjoying a carefree moment with his new friend, that he had actually managed to forget about the rogue and his pride for a few minutes.

Now, while laying on the ground, he started to think about them again, and he wondered how he was going to help his pride. He didn't know what he could possibly do, and the feeling of impotent helplessness made him edgy and desperate. He _had_ to do something to help his pride mates; he couldn't fail them like this. But what was there to do?

Kimada must have noticed his troubled silence, because he said, "Hey, what's up?"

Mikazo, who had been staring at the ground without really seeing it, didn't look up, though he did answer, "It's my pride... I have to find a way to beat that rogue and help them."

Kimada shot him a worried glance. "You can't beat him now, you know, you've just traveled for two months living on small birds and rodents! You need to get a little heavier. At least wait until you aren't so skinny."

Abruptly shooting to his paws as Kimada's words snapped his tenuous nerves, Mikazo let out a low snarl of frustration and tore his claws into the ground, ripping up grass and leaving long gorges in the dirt. "What am I supposed to do? Just stand by and leave my pride mates with a king like that? He could have just fought my father and beat him. If he did that, my father would have accepted defeat and let him be king! He didn't have to kill him! He didn't have to kill my parents!" Though it started out as a low hiss, his voice rose as he spoke until it was almost a shout.

Kimada, who had pushed himself back up into a sitting position, was looking at him with a slightly alarmed expression, but all he said was, "I know, but that doesn't mean you should get yourself killed, too. And that's what would happen if you fought him right now."

Trembling slightly, Mikazo stared at him for a moment, his claws still out from tearing at the grass. Then with a visible effort, he retracted them back into their sheaths. Taking in a shaky breath, he started pacing instead, though he could not keep the agitation he felt from showing in his every step.

He remembered how the rogue had killed his father with a quick swipe of his claws, how his mother had been next to die at the rogue's paws. He remembered the rogue's cruel attitude, the unfeeling ease with which he was able to murder, and his indifference to the horror and abhorrence his actions had caused in those around him. Most of all Mikazo remembered how he had felt in those moments, frozen with horror and refusing to believe what he was seeing, completely unable to accept that his parents had died right in front of him so suddenly and violently.

That rogue had killed his mother and father, and was now in charge of his pride, in charge of the lionesses who were his pride mates. How could he forget that and just stay here gorging himself on meat?

He noticed Kimada silently watching him pace, and the sympathy in his eyes was too much to take. Spinning away from him, Mikazo leapt forward and ran straight ahead, racing across the Pride Lands with long, quick, almost frantic strides. His heart was racing in his chest, his head buzzing as his emotions got the better of him. He didn't know where he was going, didn't have any destination in mind. He just ran hard, fueled by his anger and frustration.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Kimada watched the light brown lion go in dismay. He really wished he could help his new friend somehow. He'd go after him, try to talk to him and do something to cheer him up, but he thought that Mikazo might not appreciate his presence at the moment.

He laid down back down with a sigh and rested his chin on the grass. He had only known Mikazo for one day now, but he was stunned by what his new friend had gone through. Mikazo had lost his parents and been driven from his pride all in one day, then lived on his own for two months, hungry and alone all the time. Kimada couldn't imagine going through that. It sounded awful; overwhelming. And to top it off, Mikazo was unable to help his pride mates.

Kimada couldn't see what he could do to help. He believed that he, himself, might be able to beat the rogue. In fact, he was confident he could. He was a good fighter and proud of it, even if he wasn't an adult quite yet, and though that rogue might be cruel and dangerous, he could still be beaten. But then Kimada would be the king of Mikazo's pride and he didn't want that. There was nothing he could do... Or was there?

Springing to his paws, galvanized by his sudden idea, Kimada raced back toward Pride Rock to speak with Simba.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo sat at the edge of the Pride Lands' territory, his head lowered and shoulders slumped, his eyes glazed as he stared into the distance at nothing in particular. He was thinking of his pride, wondering what his pride mates were doing now, and desperately hoping they were relatively well and completely unharmed.

Now that his parents were gone he had only four pride mates left, all of them lionesses. There was Nuru, who was a young adult with fur a very pale tan, and she had a caring, helpful personality that Mikazo and everyone else in his pride had grown to greatly appreciate. Then there was Cheneta, a dark brown lioness who was a little older than Nuru. While definitely the most naturally nervous among Mikazo's pride mates, he knew that Cheneta had a deep and fierce love for her friends, and he was certain that, nervous or not, Cheneta could be very brave when the situation called for it. Then there was the reddish-brown Tumaini, who was a little less than a year older than Mikazo, but was still the youngest in the pride other than him. She was also, in part because of their similar ages, Mikazo's closest friend from those among his pride, and aside from his parents, was perhaps the one he missed most, with her kind heart and cheerful personality. And finally there was Uzuri, who had dark-tan fur. She was the oldest lioness in the pride, though still not what one would call old. She was calm and even-tempered, and, aside from his parents, she had always been his first choice to talk to when he needed advice. She was, and Mikazo supposed there wasn't really any other word for it, wise, as well as gentle and loving.

A while ago, Uzuri had met a rogue lion, one who was very different from the rogue who had killed Mikazo's family. The rogue Uzuri had met had been very nice, with a good heart and an adventurous spirit. Mikazo had liked him very much. Though that rogue had been too much of a loner to want to join the pride, a choice that would have tied him down to one place permanently, he and Uzuri had fallen in love. Uzuri had taken him as her mate and they'd recently had a cub. With a rush of sadness and disgust, Mikazo supposed that the rogue who had killed his parents had also killed Uzuri's little cub. He hoped that was not the case, but he couldn't honestly imagine it wasn't. He doubted that even cruelty of that level was beyond the rogue who now had control of his pride.

Shaking his head to himself, Mikazo stood and started back toward Pride Rock, intending to apologize to Kimada for yelling at him. He felt bad for that. It wasn't his friend's fault that the rogue had done what he did, or that Mikazo wasn't yet able to take back his pride and save his pride mates. As upset as he had been and still was, he knew he shouldn't have used Kimada as a target for his tangled emotions.

It didn't take him too long to reach Pride Rock again, and when he got there, he saw Kimada at the bottom of the rocky slope at its base with Simba and Nala standing next to him. Wondering what was up, because they wouldn't be gathered and waiting if something wasn't going on, Mikazo walked over to them.

Kimada trotted forward, meeting Mikazo halfway. "Hey, Mikazo."

"Sorry about yelling at you, Kimada," Mikazo said immediately, ducking his head and dropping his eyes to the ground, unable to meet his friend's gaze. "You didn't do anything to deserve that, and I shouldn't have taken my... frustration out on you."

Kimada waved that aside casually, "No problem." He grinned, surprising Mikazo with his cheerfulness, and jerked his head to indicate behind himself. "Now come over here." He turned and went back to Simba and Nala, and Mikazo, puzzled, followed right behind.

Due to his confusion, Mikazo remembered his manners a moment later than he perhaps should have, and somewhat belatedly dipped his head to the king and queen. "Hello."

"Hey, Mikazo," Simba said as he rose to his paws. "Kimada told us how worried you are about your pride. But he is right that you wouldn't be able to beat the rogue in the state you're in." Simba paused, eying Mikazo in an assessing way, before continuing, "But there's something else to consider. Have you ever trained to fight?"

Mikazo shook his head, wondering where this was going. "No, but-"

Nala stepped forward. "Well, we admire your desire to free your pride from that rogue lion and take your place as king. So we were talking, and Kimada has an idea of how to help you with that." Mikazo's attention was now sharply focused on Nala's words, his eyes wide and ears pricked as she continued; "We can teach you how to fight. There are several good fighters in the pride. Vitani and Kovu are two, and Simba- though I still always manage to pin him," she added the last with a sly glance toward Simba.

"One day I _am _going to pin you, Nala," Simba said, grinning.

"I'm sure you will," she said with teasing sarcasm, before turning back to Mikazo. "Anyway, Mikazo, if you'd like, we can all teach you our best fighting moves. We'll train you to fight. And since it was Kimada's idea in the first place, he's going to lend his own help."

"Wow, you'd do that?" Mikazo asked, surprised by how willing to help a complete stranger these lions were.

Simba nodded, his eyes bright and energetic. "Yeah. It will help you beat that rogue and will be fun too. And it will benefit our pride, as well. It would help us to stay fit and sharp."

"Thanks!" Mikazo yelled, louder than he'd meant to as gratitude and hope that he would soon be able to help his pride mates rushed through him.

"You're welcome, Mikazo," Nala said, smiling at his enthusiasm. "Now, the hunting party got back just before you did. So why don't we all eat now? We'll start training tomorrow."

That sounded like a grand plan to Kimada, so he happily followed Simba and Nala up Pride Rock. With his heart thumping and muscles tense with excitement, Mikazo followed them.

After dinner, Mikazo headed over to his sleeping spot near the ledge and started circling around in an attempt get comfortable, restlessly flicking his tail.

The rest of the pride didn't seem too inclined to stare at him anymore. At dinner he had gotten to know a few of them. There was Mwezi, a dark tan lioness who had formerly been an Outsider, which Mikazo learned what was the members of Zira's pride had been called before they had left the insane lioness and joined the Pride Landers. There was also Huni, a tan lioness who was very friendly and loved to run, and Nyota, who Kimada had mentioned earlier. She had a silvery-tan coat.

All of the lionesses of this pride seemed very friendly and good-natured, though like in all groups there were a few who were more stand-offish and rough around the edges. All in all, however, Mikazo liked the lions of the Pride Lands a great deal already.

That evening when Mikazo lay down, it took him a while to fall asleep, excited as he was by the prospect of training with Simba's pride. Eventually, though, he managed to still his fidgeting enough to drift off.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, Mikazo was awakened by a paw prodding him in the side.

"Mmph," he mumbled, turning his head and burying it deeper underneath his fore-leg as he tried to ignore the persistent paw, which was awfully hard to do.

"Hey, get up, already. The sun's up!"

Kimada.

Mikazo reluctantly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. "Alright... I'm up, knock it off." The paw stopped poking him and Mikazo uncurled with a yawn.

"So," Kimada said from where he stood next to Mikazo, watching him reluctantly wake, "are you ready for your first training session?"

Training! All desire to go back to sleep instantly forgotten, Mikazo jumped to his feet so suddenly that Kimada leapt back in surprise, almost getting struck on his chin by the top of Mikazo's head. "I guess that's a 'yes'," Kimada said, chuckling as he took several extra steps back to be safe.

Mikazo ignored him. "So where are we training?" he asked eagerly.

"Outside, I'll show you." And he ran off, Mikazo right on his tail.

Kimada led Mikazo down Pride Rock and a little way away from it, traveling across the plains. They stopped on a large, flat grassy field that had only a few rocks and pebbles scattered around it, which would make it unlikely a training lion would fall on or trip over a stray rock and so would be less likely to be injured. The ground was hard enough to provide a solid surface to push off from, but the grass softened it enough that falling on it when pinned or knocked down would be less of a hazard than it might otherwise be.

Despite the early morning, Simba, Nala, Kovu, and Vitani were all waiting in the field. Kiara was there as well, laying nearby with Daka, a cub of about a month and a half old, sitting between her front paws. The cub's expression was lit with excitement and curiosity.

"This is the best place on the territory to play fight, so Simba decided it would be a good training spot," Kimada told him as they headed toward the group gathered in the field. Mikazo could see why.

Simba came up to them,. "Good morning, guys. Are you ready, Mikazo?" he asked.

"I sure am!"

"Well, we think that first you should watch a demonstration," Nala said as she walked up as well. She cocked her head as she looked over at Simba and raised an eyebrow challengingly. "What do you say, Simba?"

Simba grinned at his mate. "Bring it on," he said, sounding rather like an enthusiastic cub.

Mikazo sat down near the edge of the field to watch, and Kimada sat next to him.

In the middle of the field, Simba and Nala circled each other, waiting for the best chance to strike. Mikazo, who was watching closely, noticed they kept their claws in to avoid really causing any damage.

With a sudden explosion of movement, Simba leapt at the lioness, who darted to the side and swiped at his head. Simba quickly dropped to the ground and rolled out of the path of the blow. He landed on his paws and lunged at her, swiping at her neck with a paw. Instead of dodging the hit, Nala threw herself into it, making the strike glance off her side while simultaneously throwing Simba off balance.

In a flash, she landed a quick blow on the side of his head, causing him to stumble sideways. Though he almost fell, one of his hind paws splaying out from under him, Simba just managed to catch himself. He regained his paws and leapt again, surging powerfully through the air straight at Nala.

As he did, Nala reared onto her hind legs and fell backward, letting Simba knock her on her back. Then, as she hit the ground, Nala went with Simba's momentum and shoved her back paws into his stomach, flipping the large lion over her head. She flipped with him, the pair becoming an airborne blur of gold and tan, and then, with a heavy thump that Mikazo swore he could feel the tremor from, they landed.

As momentum nearly caused the roll the two were locked in to continue, Nala shoved back against its force, slamming her mate to the ground with her front paws planted firmly on his chest and with Simba's back pressed against the ground. She'd pinned him.

From Simba's expression, Mikazo got the impression this had happened plenty of times before.

Nala smirked, staring down at Simba. "Just like old times, huh, Simba?" she asked, amused.

Simba sighed, the sound resigned, and leaned his head back against the ground. Mikazo saw the king roll his eyes, though a grin was tugging at the edges of his muzzle. "Okay, okay, you win. Can you let me up now?"

Nala gave him a smug smile, then stepped to the side and let him up.

Simba rolled to his feet and shook the dust out of his red mane, before turning to the two young lions who sat watching. "Well, what do you think, Mikazo?" he asked.

"You're both brilliant!" Mikazo exclaimed.

Next to him, Kimada, who had an impish grin, muttered to Mikazo under his breath, "Though I think Nala's a little better."

Mikazo choked back a laugh.

"Thank you, Mikazo," Nala said, smiling, and Simba nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then. Kovu, Vitani, it's your turn!" Simba then called, turning toward where the others sat in a group, Kiara and Kovu with their cub resting in between them, and Vitani a few feet away, lounging in the grass.

Clearly ready to get going themselves, both quickly got to their paws at Simba's words, and Kovu bounded onto the grassy field with Vitani right behind him.

Kovu crouched down and stood his ground as Vitani pulled herself toward him in a stalk similar to one she would use while hunting prey. Then the two lions leapt forward, catching each other in midair, both trying to get a grip on the other with paws and teeth as they tumbled in a rolling ball to the ground.

Mikazo saw that even though they were biting each other, they were only breaking through the fur, not skin. It seemed, though, that the two siblings were not holding back when it came to paw strikes, aside from the fact that their claws were kept safely retracted.

Wrenching her shoulder out of Kovu's teeth and disengaging herself briefly from the tussle, Vitani lunged to the side and then sprang into the air. She landed roughly on her brother's back and nearly brought Kovu to his stomach under her weight. Wobbling slightly as Kovu staggered sideways, she held his mane in her mouth to keep from falling off, and struck his shoulders with her front paws with a series of quick blows.

Kovu ducked his head against the attack and then, with a massive effort, he leapt into the air with Vitani still balanced precariously on his back. He twisted as he did so, to try to throw her off. When that didn't work and Kovu landed heavily back on his paws, he instantly flipped onto his back and squashed Vitani against the ground, driving the breath from her and forcing her to loosen her hold.

Pulling free from his sister's grip with a grunt of strain, Kovu sprang to his paws, followed soon by Vitani, who was wheezing slightly. They started circling each other slowly, giving themselves time to catch their breath.

Several moments passed without either attacking, and then Vitani suddenly leapt at Kovu, aiming a swipe at his front legs. Kovu reared onto his hind paws to avoid her attack, which, though it allowed him to dodge the swipe, exposed his chest and stomach. Instantly, Vitani threw herself at him, slamming her front paws into his light brown chest.

Back-stepping to keep his balance, Kovu lowered his paws and ducked to avoid her bite, and her jaws snapped shut just over his head. As he dropped from his rear, he knocked Vitani's hind legs out from under her with a fore-paw. She fell onto her back, and before she could do more than groan at the impact, Kovu leapt on top of her and lunged at her neck, his sharp teeth stopping inches from her throat. Vitani froze in place and then slumped flat against the ground, conceding the match to her brother.

"Kovu wins!" Simba called, and Kovu stood, grinning, to let Vitani regain her paws. Once standing, Vitani cuffed her brother lightly on the ear, letting out a playful huff, and he ducked his head, still grinning.

"That was awesome!" Kimada called, kneading the ground with his paws enthusiastically.

Mikazo, eyes wide with excitement, nodded his agreement, and both younger lions received smiles from Kovu and Vitani, though the latter's was somewhat sarcastic. Mikazo supposed the loss was stinging the lioness, who seemed a proud type.

Then Nala turned to Kiara, who still sat at the edge of the field with her cub. "Kiara, do you want to try? I can watch Daka," she offered.

The golden lioness instantly sprang to her paws. "Yeah!" she exclaimed.

Simba looked over his shoulder at Kimada. "Want to fight with Kiara, Kimada?"

"Sure!" He stopped kneading the ground and bounded forward. Kiara was already on the grassy field, trotting toward its center.

Because he was still young, Kimada only came up to Kiara's muzzle, but he didn't seem to be concerned by this detail. Mikazo had the feeling that his new friend was a very confident lion, and he certainly seemed very optimistic.

Kimada and Kiara started circling each other, then, after a few seconds, Kimada leapt at Kiara, aiming to jump on her back in the same sort of move Vitani had used on Kovu.

It didn't go as well for Kimada as it had for Vitani, however. Kiara quickly flipped over, so that instead of landing on her back, Kimada landed on all four of her paws, which were braced to hold him. Kiara's legs bent under Kimada's weight, and then she heaved upward and to the side; the surprised lion was thrown off her.

Kimada rolled as he hit the ground, and the roll absorbed the force and prevented the blow from dazing him. He regained his paws in time to swipe at the charging Kiara, striking her shoulder and knocking her down. As she fell, Kiara tangled her paws in Kimada's legs, bringing him down as well.

The two lions flipped end-over-end as they tumbled across the grass, both trying to pin the other. Kimada finally managed to fling Kiara off of him with a kick.

Kiara landed on three legs, the third buckling from the impact with the ground, but she managed to stay standing with some effort.

As Kimada leapt at her, she quickly jumped backward, so he landed right in-between her outstretched front paws rather than on her shoulders.

Flinging herself forward, Kiara put all her weight into the tackle. She hit Kimada head on and knocked him over. Kiara landed with one paw on his chest the other on his throat.

"Kiara wins!" This time Nala called out the victor.

"I did it!" Kiara said happily.

"Yeah, that's great and all. But can you please get off my chest?" Kimada said with a groan, still pinned to the ground beneath Kiara's paws.

Kiara looked down at him in surprise. "Oh! Right, sorry," she said sheepishly, and let him up.

"Oh, shut up," Kimada grumbled as he walked back over to Mikazo, who was laughing. Mikazo saw that Kimada was smiling, what ever he said.

"Okay, sorry," he said, still chuckling slightly. "You did really well, though," he told his friend sincerely.

Kimada shrugged, though he seemed pleased. "Thanks."

"I can't wait to try!" Mikazo said, thinking of how much fun it would be. And, more importantly, it would help him grow strong and learn how to beat that rogue and save his pride. Hopefully, he could learn quickly enough to defeat the rogue soon. He would need a lot of training to get to that point, as the rogue was so much larger and physically stronger than he was just now, but Mikazo had no other choice but to try. He wouldn't leave his pride mates under that lion's control, not if there was anything at all he could do to stop the rogue.

Simba smiled. "That's good, but first you need to try out some of the moves you saw us using. So why don't we start? Kimada, want to be his training partner?"

"That's what I'm here for!" Kimada said brightly, shaking out his sun-colored fur as if to stretch his muscles and shake himself to full awareness, though cheerful as Kimada had been all day so far, Mikazo doubted that was necessary.

"Okay," Nala began, "first let's see how well you can fight now, Mikazo, so we can get an idea of your abilities."

Mikazo nodded as he drew in a breath, then stood, arched his body in a stretch, and headed onto the field with Kimada following.

Mikazo took a deep breath as he turned to face Kimada, determined to put his all into this first match. He crouched down and began to slowly circle the other lion. Kimada mirrored him, his ears flattened against his head and his belly brushing the ground as he stalked.

Suddenly, Kimada darted forward, aiming a paw at Mikazo's head. Ducking under the hit, Mikazo lunged at Kimada's neck with his own paw. Though powerful, the blow was softened by Kimada's mane and the other lion only staggered slightly.

Kimada reared up and swatted the side of Mikazo's head, catching his cheek and muzzle. His claws were kept carefully in, but even so, Mikazo was knocked to the ground with stars flashing in front of his eyes.

Shaking his head to clear it, Mikazo got to his paws in time to see that Kimada was leaping at him. In the instant he had to decide what to do, Mikazo got an idea. Instead of leaping to either side to avoid the airborne tackle, he dove forward and down, skimming the grass and ending up under Kimada as he leapt overhead. Before Kimada could pass completely over him, Mikazo reared quickly and shoved his shoulders into Kimada's stomach, ruining his balance and causing him to land awkwardly.

Still rearing, Mikazo spun on his hind paws and tackled the off-balance Kimada, knocking him onto his side. Kimada rolled with the tackle, flipping Mikazo off to the side and sending them both into a tumble, thumping against the dusty ground several times as they rolled. Each lion tried to pin the other until finally Kimada came out on the top, pinning Mikazo to the ground by his shoulders. Mikazo thrashed briefly, only to end up shoving his muzzle into the ground, and, unable to toss Kimada off, he went limp to concede defeat.

Simba called, "Kimada wins!"

Kimada released his hold and moved away and Mikazo stood, spitting out a mouthful of dirt.

It was clear Kimada felt a little bad about that. "Uh, sorry!" he said with an apologetic grin, smacking Mikazo on the back as though to help clear the dirt from his mouth.

"N-no problem," Mikazo choked and rubbed a paw along the end of his muzzle, sure he must have dirt stuck in his whiskers.

Kovu spoke up, "You both did very well."

"Thanks," they said in unison, though Mikazo's came out slightly hoarse and he spat out one more chunk of dust and dirt. Snorting slightly, he then shot a sideways look of mock accusation toward Kimada, only to receive a grin in return.

Nala walked over. "Kovu's right. You both showed promise, and I think that training can really start now. Are you ready to start learning some fighting moves, Mikazo?" she asked.

With all of the dirt cleaned away and his enthusiasm not lessened in the least by his loss to Kimada, Mikazo nodded excitedly. "Of course!" he confirmed. "What do I do first?"

"Okay, then, let's see..." Nala paused briefly, then said, "First, let's start with a simple one. As Kimada attacks, dodge by dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way." She nodded to Kimada as a prompt, and without missing a beat, he swiped a large paw at Mikazo's head.

Mikazo easily did as Nala instructed, dropping, rolling, and dodging the hit.

As the morning drew on the training continued like that, going from simple moves to harder ones. Simple, like when Kovu knocked his opponent's back paw out from under him while on his own hind paws, and more difficult, as in Nala's flipping move where you let the opponent tackle you and knock you back, then you flip them over your head using your back paws and the force of their own jump against them.

The first few moves were easy enough, but the later ones were considerably harder to get down pat. When Mikazo tried Nala's flipping move, he managed to get halfway through flipping Kimada over his head before he lost control of the roll and they both landed hard on the ground, Mikazo falling on the shoulders of his fore-paws with Kimada dropping on top of him.

By the time they decided it was getting late and was time to go back to Pride Rock, he had perfected all the simple moves, and even a few of the hard ones, though unfortunately far from all of them. Mikazo supposed if he kept trying, he'd get the hang of most of them eventually. Simba told him that he had done very well for his first time, and that they would rest tomorrow and resume training the day after tomorrow.

Mikazo was glad the lesson was over for now. He was feeling tired, battered, and achy from wrestling with Kimada all day. All the same, he was pleased with how the day had went. He had learned a lot of fighting techniques and had worked hard at polishing others. He knew he had a long way to go before he was anywhere near as good at fighting as the more accomplished lions who were his trainers, but he felt as though he was up to the challenge, as long as it would help him save his pride mates.

After dinner, which Mikazo had barely been able to eat without falling asleep in the meat, exhausted as he was, they all went to sleep.

Seeming rather tired himself and so less energetic than Mikazo was beginning to see was usual for him, Kimada bid him goodnight before walking off to his sleeping spot.

Mikazo curled up in his own spot by the jutting stone ledge and was asleep almost before his head hit the ground.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo was awakened from his deep sleep by a loud, "Ouch!" Alarmed, his nerves still frayed from weeks of being on his own, which forced him to deal with the necessity of keeping a constant eye out for danger, he jerked his head up and looked around for the source. With a sigh of relief, he saw that it was just Kovu, and the reason Kovu had yelped was obvious and harmless. The young cub, Daka, was sitting on his father's head, gripping Kovu's ear between his teeth and tugging with all his might.

Kiara was sitting next to them, blinking from her own rude awaking. Then, taking in the sight, she grinned. "Problem, Kovu?" she asked cheerfully.

"A slight one," Kovu said with a smile, keeping still so he didn't knock Daka to the ground. He raised his eyes to look upward, though he surely wouldn't be able to see Daka where the cub was perched on the back of his head. "Uh, Daka? My ear isn't a piece of prey."

"It is!" the cub growled through his full mouth as he braced his paws to pull backward. "It's a fierce antelope!"

"Well, I kinda need that ear," Kovu said with a slight wince as his son redoubled his playful efforts. "Tell you what, let's go outside and I'll show you how to stalk prey, okay?" Mikazo could see that Kovu wasn't sure what he had just offered was such a good idea. If Daka learned how to stalk prey right now, no lion's tail would be safe.

"Really?" Because of his thrilled exclamation, Daka let go of Kovu's ear while he was still tugging on it. This caused him to tumble over backward, rolling off of his father and landing on the ground with an small yelp. He immediately jumped to his paws, the tips of which were the color of sand, like his undersides. Unperturbed by his tumble, Daka looked up at his father, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Really! I'll show you outside, in the grass," Kovu told him.

Daka was out the mouth of the cave almost before his father had finished speaking.

"Daka, wait for us!" Kiara called after her cub, quickly sprinting after him with Kovu right behind her.

Chuckling, Mikazo got to his paws and walked out of the cave, as well.

Looking down from the promontory to the bottom of the slope, he could see Kovu with Daka in his mouth, carrying him down the last few rocks at a safer pace than the cub's reckless dash had been.

Suddenly, while his attention was on the family of three, something slammed into Mikazo's side and flipped him onto his back. "Good morning! At least you're awake at the right time today, thanks to Daka. You gotta learn to keep that up now. You sleep too much, buddy!"

"Hey, Kimada."

The bright-maned lion let Mikazo stand, then said, "So, what do you want to do today?"

Mikazo looked off of Pride Rock at the land below, taking in the sprawling plains, abundant with life of all types. "Why don't we go exploring? I want to see more of the Pride Lands." Mikazo may have been taken on a tour of the Pride Lands, but he was quite sure he hadn't seen all of it yet. The territory was massive, and one day's worth of touring wouldn't be able to cover every length of it.

"Okay, then," Kimada agreed, starting down the rocks to the Savannah as he spoke. "Let's go!"

They traveled around the Pride Lands until the sun was high in the sky, exploring and occasionally breaking into energetic play-fights. They eventually reached the edge of the territory, this side of which was defined by a long hill.

It was hard to see too far from where they were, so Kimada suggested they go to the top of the hill. Mikazo, who was interested to see what lands lay beyond the Pride Lands and if they measured up to this territory, agreed.

They bounded up the hill's slope, stopping at its highest point, and looked around. From this height an animal could see for miles. Most of the land was flat, grassy Savannah, but there were trees here and there and massive mountains in the distance, their peaks draped in clouds.

Then Mikazo saw it. About half a day's walk from where they were standing, the land dipped down in a valley. The way the land was shaped looked very familiar to Mikazo. Impossibly familiar. With a sense of the unreal, he saw a lake in the territory. It looked like the one he had once jumped into when he was three months old. And there was a huge tree that looked exactly like the one he had tried to climb not long after his jump into the lake but was stopped from getting too high by his worried mother. Countless other landmarks stuck a cord and hundreds of memories in Mikazo, and his thoughts were sent into a spinning tangle of shock and disbelief.

Mikazo realized he had stopped breathing and sucked in a breath through lungs that felt far too tight. "Kimada," he said, his voice hoarse, "do you see that valley?"

Kimada looked at him curiously. "Yeah, what about it?"

"That's where I grew up, that's where my pride is. I... I can't believe it. I must have wandered in a circle."


	4. Off They Go

**Hi! Sorry that this update took longer than usual. I was having a little trouble trying to figure out how to write a few scenes. Despite the difficult to write parts, I did enjoy writing it. I hope you enjoy it.**

Kimada was staring at Mikazo with a shocked expression. "That's your pride?" he asked, astonished.

Mikazo nodded absentmindedly, focused intently on the sight of his pride's home.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed as Kimada looked from Mikazo to the valley where his pride stayed then back again. "I knew there was a pride nearby, but your pride?"

Mikazo nodded again.

Kimada frowned in confusion. "But if your pride is so close by, why'd it take you two months to get here?"

"Like I said, I must have wandered in circles," Mikazo responded, thinking about his journey. "I went out of my territory and kept going straight ahead for... a few weeks, I think. Then I ran into a river that I couldn't cross, it was too big. So I just walked alongside it for a while, since it was a water-source, and I figured that if I was going to find any lion prides, they'd be around water-sources. The river twisted around the Outlands, so I went through there and got to this pride."

"A river? There are a few around here, but I don't think you mean them... A really big and wide one, near the Outlands?"

"Yeah."

"That's at the bottom of our territory, past the Outlands." Kimada looked over toward Mikazo's home territory again. "If you had gone this way instead of down, it would have been a much shorter walk," he said dryly, shaking his head. A moment passed during which both of them silently stared at Mikazo's home, and then Kimada backed a step into the Pride Lands. "We should tell Simba. Come on."

He turned around and started heading back to Pride Rock, his pace quick. Then he noticed Mikazo wasn't following. He was frozen in place, staring toward his territory, his home, and though Mikazo wasn't fully aware of it, he was leaning forward slightly with his body tensed as though to spring forward and race toward his lands right then and there.

"Mikazo, are you coming?" Kimada asked, looking back at his motionless friend with concern.

Mikazo nearly jumped in surprise, having been so focused on his lands that he'd almost forgotten Kimada's presence. With difficulty, he tore his gaze from his valley home. "Yeah, I... I guess." With one slow hesitant paw-step after another, he went after Kimada.

As they walked through the grasslands in the direction of Pride Rock, Mikazo was thinking. Seeing his pride's homeland had made him wonder more than ever how his pride mates were doing, and how their new king was treating them.

Now that he had seen his home again, he wasn't sure what to do. He had planned to train and get stronger, but what if his pride needed him now? What should he do if that were the case? What could_ he _do? He was barely bigger than a cub, himself.

_I can't beat that rogue now, _he told himself firmly. _I have to get stronger first._

But he imagined that cruel lion in charge of his pride, in charge of his friends, and wondered if it was a good idea to wait that long, training or not. His pride mates might need his help, now. There might not be time to waste. If that was true, how could he just stay here and leave them to fend for themselves? As their friend, he wanted to help them, was deeply worried about them; and as their prince, he knew down to his bones that it was his duty to watch after them and make sure that no harm came to them. It seemed to him that he was failing pretty severely in that regard, and he felt sick with that knowledge.

But if he went and lost to the rogue and was killed, that wouldn't help his pride either. The tawny lion would still be their king, and Mikazo would be dead. He didn't know what to do. He knew he had to help his pride mates, but he didn't know how he could do that right now. The frustration he felt was overwhelming, but no matter how desperate to help his friends he was, he didn't think that he would be able to defeat the rogue right then. Not until he'd had more training, and though he didn't particularly want to admit it, not until he had grown older and larger. He would be no match for the rogue lion until then. But yet again, what if his pride mates needed him now? What if it was urgent and could not wait? Mikazo's mind was a hopeless tangle, chasing itself in circle after circle.

As he looked up, he realized then with a slight jolt that they had already made it to Pride Rock, and, lost in his thoughts, Mikazo hadn't noticed.

Kimada ran on ahead to tell Simba. Mikazo followed slowly behind.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Simba and Nala were both surprised to learn that the pride so near to their own was Mikazo's. They had, of course, known that the land there had been claimed by a pride of lions, but, not knowing which pride Mikazo came from, they hadn't guessed it was his.

The king and queen also thought that Mikazo needed to stay in the Pride Lands and train before he had any hope of beating the rogue. And though Mikazo agreed with them, he could barely ignore the desire to run to see if his pride mates were alright.

"Okay," Mikazo said quietly, resigned to the fact that he would have to wait. "I know I need to get stronger."

"I'm sorry, Mikazo," Simba said, sympathy shining in his red-orange eyes.

"It's okay." He dipped his head to the Pride Land rulers, and then he turned and started back down Pride Rock toward the Savannah, and more specifically, toward the field where they'd held the training matches.

"Hey, where are you going?" Simba asked in surprise.

"To the training area to practice some of the fighting moves you all taught me," Mikazo answered, pausing and looking back over his shoulder. "I know I'm supposed to be resting for tomorrow... but I have to do something." He shook his head. The discovery of his pride's proximity, the sight of his home, and the knowledge that he couldn't yet return there, that he couldn't yet help his friends, had left him unsettled and bristling with energy. He felt like pacing or running or training, something to work off his energy. He certainly didn't feel that he could manage to get any rest even if he tried at the moment. At least with the training, he could perhaps get something useful achieved. "I can't just stand around."

As Simba shrugged in way of agreement, Kimada nodded and padded down the slope after Mikazo. "Well, then it looks like you'll need a training partner in that case, so count me in."

Mikazo smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Kimada."

The two friends reached the bottom of Pride Rock's slope and bounded toward the grassy field that was the training spot.

Both lions were improving quickly. All those practice fights were really helping quite a lot, though Mikazo was aware that a few practice fights and training sessions would not be enough for him to take back his pride. It would take time, he was sure, but to save his pride mates, it was time well spent.

Aside from the fact that he needed to help his friends, his pride mates; he also truly wanted to return home. He needed to see his lands again, desperately wanted to once again live in the land in which he had been born. Being separated not only from his pride, but also from his lands, was painful. Then to have lost his parents in the manner he had at the same time had made things so much worse than it would have been if he had simply been driven out.

Training was the best way he had right now to work toward helping his pride mates, and it was also the best way he had to use some of his frustrated energy in something productive.

Mikazo and Kimada trained for a while, then, pleased with their efforts, they finished for the day and returned to Pride Rock.

The sun was still quite high in the sky as they arrived at the foot of the pride's home. As they approached, they noticed that a hunting party was about to go out. There were eight of the pride's lionesses in this particular hunting party, gathered in a loose group at the bottom of Pride Rock as they prepared to head out into the Savannah. Mikazo noticed that Huni and Mwezi, whom he recognized from last night's meal, were among them.

Mikazo got an idea, and, saying goodbye to Kimada, he ran up to the departing lionesses.

"Hi," he said as he reached them. "Is it okay if I help hunt? I thought that since I'm eating the prey that's brought in, I should at least help bring it in."

The leader of the hunting party answered. Mikazo hadn't met this lioness yet. She had a golden-brown coat and blue eyes, and her large and powerful build was well-suited to her position as lead huntress. Overall, she was a very intimidating lioness, being larger than most of the other lionesses in her hunting party and certainly larger than Mikazo, who still had some growing to do, but her expression was open and friendly. "It might help to have an extra set of paws along, thanks. My name is Kudura, by the way. You're Mikazo, right?" she asked.

Mikazo nodded. "Yeah. Hi, nice to meet you."

She lowered her head to Mikazo in acknowledgment. "Nice to meet you, too, Mikazo." Her gaze grew intense as she began to explain the hunting plan to Mikazo, the plan that the rest of her group would obviously already be aware of. "Okay, Mwezi found a herd of gazelle near the waterhole- one of them has a weak leg. That's our target.

"You and two others will drive the gazelle herd toward the high grass to the left of the waterhole. Four more of us will leap from that grass and try to separate the injured one from the rest of the gazelle, then drive it toward a final area a little past the nearby tree. By then the gazelle should be tired, and its injury will weaken it further, then the last two of us will run out from near the tree and finish it. Got it?"

Mikazo nodded in confirmation. He understood his part in this, and he'd do his best.

"Good," Kudura said briskly, already moving out into the tall grass toward the waterhole. "Let's go."

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo crouched down low in the Savannah grass, his light brown coat blending in among the thin stalks, which ranged from green- to golden-colored, until he was almost invisible. On his right were Huni and a sand-colored lioness named Kukimbia. The group was watching the herd of gazelle that were grazing by the waterhole. They had positioned themselves so that all they had to do was run straight at the gazelle to drive them in the direction they wanted them to go. If done correctly, their intended prey should be driven right into the paws of the other hunters.

All three of the lions were tense, waiting for the moment to attack, and were so quiet that Mikazo swore he could hear just barely hear the breathing of the other two. He did his best to match them in their silence as they stalked the herd.

They carefully watched the herd of gazelle as their intended prey milled about, contentedly eating the tall grass and completely unaware of the predators who lay in wait. It was a large herd, the individual animals' gold and white coats mixing with the others as they milled about and blending the group into one solid mass. This made it hard to tell where one gazelle ended and another began, which made it more difficult for hunting predators to pick a target.

Mikazo was having trouble staying still as impatience set in. He had to fight the urge to fidget, which was getting stronger the longer they waited. He wanted to leap forward and help catch the gazelle, but he knew if he moved too soon he would ruin the hunt for sure. He'd joined this hunt so he could help them, not mess up the whole thing, so despite his impatience, he relaxed his muscles and crouched lower until he was almost laying on the ground. He was completely hidden among the grass stalks, and could feel the fur on his stomach brushing against the dirt beneath him. Unless the wind changed direction and carried his scent and that of the two lionesses beside him to the gazelle, Mikazo didn't think there was much chance of their prey noticing their motionless hunters.

Finally, just when he thought he was going to go crazy from waiting so long, Huni flicked her tail in a sharp downward movement, alerting Mikazo and Kukimbia. It was the signal, which Huni had known to give because she herself had been in a position to see another of the hunters, in the second group which waited ahead, give a signal of their own. In their turn, the second group had received a signal from the third group, in which was Kudura, who was leading this hunt. This had all been planned before the hunt had begun, on the way to the waterhole, and Mikazo had been impressed with the coordination among the Pride Landers.

With the signal to attack recieved, the three lions leapt at the gazelle herd from their positions in the grass They growled and snapped their jaws as they ran, trying to frighten the herd into running, as was part of the plan. Turning at the explosion of movement and sound, the gazelle herd saw the approaching lions and briefly froze as a group, startled and then alarmed. In a panic, they took off, letting out loud bleats as they ran, but the lions were right behind them.

Heart racing in excitement, Mikazo ran as quickly as he could, managing to keep up with the larger adult lionesses. Dust, continuously kicked up by the panicked herd's hooves, flew back to coat the predators' fur and partially obscure their vision, but they could still plainly see their prey as they drove them toward the ambush. He let out the loudest snarl he could manage, snapping his teeth close to the nearest gazelle's tail to drive it on faster.

The gazelle herd ran toward the grass at the side of the waterhole where four more lions crouched, hidden in the grass, waiting to strike.

As he bounded behind their prey, Mikazo saw the gazelle with the injured leg start to lag behind, and knew that things were going perfectly. Moments from now, if things continued as planned, their hunt would end in success... Spurred by that thought, Mikazo swiped at the tail of another gazelle, trying to drive them faster as they raced toward the second group of hunters.

The four lions that lay in wait leapt from the grass, snarling viciously. They darted forward, cutting in between the target gazelle and its herd, and moving to block its path when it tried to slip around them to rejoin the other gazelle. The lame gazelle reared on to its hind legs and leapt to the side, favoring its right front leg.

The rest of its herd ran on, knowing they could not stop the lions and desperate to escape before more of them were hunted, though many of them shot regretful looks after their separated member. Mikazo couldn't allow himself to feel guilty that they were hunting this gazelle, however. Its herd would miss it, would mourn it, he knew, but the lions, too, needed to eat. The life of this one gazelle would feed the many who lived in Simba's pride- assuming, of course, that they could catch it.

Now split from its herd, the gazelle ran as fast as it could with its weakened leg. Mikazo had been told that after they separate it from the others, they were supposed to pace the gazelle in order to tire it out. This was because even a wounded prey animal- or one that had a lame leg, in the case of this one- could still harm a lion with its hooves or horns if they tried to hunt it when it was not exhausted by the chase. Their attempt to tire it was working. There was a definite limp in the frightened animal's stride. It was now running slow enough that it was easy for the lions to keep up, and Mikazo fell into a steady sprint rather than a full-out run to preserve his own energy.

As it neared the tree where the last two lions crouched, the gazelle seemed barely able to keep moving, its sides heaving with effort. But as Kudura and her pride mate leapt from behind the grass under the tree, the gazelle let out a fresh bleat of panic, eyes wide and wild, and picked up its pace, twisting away from its new attackers and trying as a last-ditch effort to slip past the lions behind it, only to have its path blocked.

The other huntress, a large, gray-brown lioness who had been waiting alongside Kudura, now darted forward and swiped a clawed paw at the gazelle's uninjured front leg, swiping it out from under it mid-stride. It stumbled, falling down onto its folding forelegs and slamming chest and neck first into the ground, braying as it struggled to shove itself back to its hooves even as it fell.

In an instant Kudura sprang, knocking the weakened animal on its side. Then she lunged at its throat and held on as it fought to stand, her weight keeping it on the ground as her grip cut off its air. The rest of the hunters stood tense, ready to help should one of their prey's thrashing hooves strike Kudura. After a few seconds the gazelle's struggles slowed, then stopped completely as it fell limp, and Kudura stood in triumph.

"Well done, everybody!" Kudura shouted to the rest of the hunting party. Her fur was stained with dust, and her sides moved quickly, but their rhyme settled within moments. It was clear the lead huntress was in peak form.

The hunters started to pull the downed gazelle back to Pride Rock, taking turns in pairs to drag it with their teeth.

Mikazo was extremely excited, as well as pleased. This gazelle was the first big prey he had helped to bring down, and though he hadn't done much himself, he had been a part of the whole hunting group. He was sure his parents would have been proud.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

After dinner, the lions began to retire for the night. Mikazo was exhausted, but at the same time he was having trouble sleeping. As was all but constant in his thoughts these last two months, he couldn't help but think about his pride mates and hope they were doing alright. Finally, so tired his eyes wouldn't stay open despite the anxieties he felt, Mikazo fell asleep.

He again had the dream in which his parents were killed, the one where the rogue lion attacked them in a bid to take the kingship of the pride for his own.

Hodari dying under the rogue's gleaming claws.

Kawanja next, the rogue taking her life with horrible satisfaction.

Mikazo woke with a start, shudders coursing down his spine. He sat up, his heart thudding so hard he thought it might break his ribs with the force of its beats. Trying desperately to distract himself from the terror and pain the dream- the memory- caused him, he looked around the cave. It was still night, and moonlight was pouring in through the cave entrance, turning the stone a pale silver. The other lions all slept peacefully.

After a moment of listening to the other lions' even breathing and the peaceful calls of night birds throughout the Pride Lands, Mikazo's heart slowed to its normal rate, and, with a weary sigh, he laid back down. If he got up now, he'd be tired and unable to concentrate tomorrow. He knew that he would need his rest if he was going to be any good in training when morning arrived. All the same, he wasn't so sure he wanted to fall back asleep. That dream might return, and he didn't want to face it yet again. Watching his parents die, watching them be senselessly murdered, had almost been more than he could take, and reliving it time and time again in his nightmares was just too much. It was also something he could do little to change. Time alone would soften the horror of that memory, though he knew it would never be able to dull it completely.

Resting his head on his paws, Mikazo stared at the stars through the mouth of the cave. They glimmered brightly against the darkness of the night sky, brilliant specks of light scattered in an endless expanse of dark blue. He had been told about the Great Kings of the Past, those kings who had come before and who now watched over their living decedents and heirs. He wondered if one of those stars up there was his father, watching over him. And what about his mother? Perhaps there were Great Queens of the Past, too; he hoped so, very much.

His eyelids were drooping, but before he fell asleep once more, he was sure that he saw one of the stars twinkling especially brightly in his direction.

The nightmare didn't return that night.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, Mikazo walked out of the cave and immediately jumped forward, knowing what was coming. Kimada landed just behind him with a sharp grunt, the pounce missing entirely.

"Nice try, Kimada." Mikazo grinned at his friend.

"Oh, well. I'll just have to pin you on the training field today!" Kimada said as his straightened up, not seeming bothered in the least by his failed pounce.

"We'll see."

Mikazo leapt down the rock path to the Savannah with Kimada tailing him.

They walked the short distance to the training area where a group from the pride waited. Mikazo thought he could remember all of their names now with no trouble. There was Simba, the Lion King, his mate and queen Nala, their daughter Kiara, who was the Pride Lands' princess, and Kiara's mate, Kovu. Kovu's sister Vitani was there as well.

They exchanged greetings, then got right to work. Mikazo was asked to perform all of the moves he had learned last time to make sure he remembered how. He only had to be reminded of a few of them. After that, they again showed him some of the moves he hadn't been able to do before, as well as some new ones.

After half a day of training to prefect the different moves, they held some mock battles. Mikazo actually beat Kimada in a few of them, which he was quite proud of. Kimada was an energetic and challenging opponent, it seemed, though Mikazo thought that his friend was probably not as skilled as Simba, Nala, Kovu or some of the others. That would likely come in time, though, for both of them.

Since he had been eating well the last few days, Mikazo was filling out a little bit. Though still very thin, he was regaining some of his former health. He hadn't realized, before coming to the Pride Lands, how much weight he had lost, though he had been aware of how much weaker he'd become from lack of enough food and rough travel. Even with just a few days time now, he was feeling much better.

After training, the tired lions returned to Pride Rock, laughing together and teasing each other along the way. It was time for an afternoon siesta on some sun-warmed rocks.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Later, while Mikazo and Kimada were resting in the hot sun, Kimada told Mikazo the story of how Simba's uncle, Scar, took over the Pride Lands and became its king with a hoard of hyenas at his command, and about the murder of Mufasa, Simba's father.

According to Kimada, Scar had killed his brother, Mufasa, so that he, Scar, could become in king in Mufasa's place, and then he had convinced Simba, who had been a cub at the time, that the death of Simba's father was his own fault. Simba had then run away from the Pride Lands, as he'd been told to do by his uncle, and met Timon and Pumbaa, the meerkat and warthog duo who had raised Simba from cub to adult. Then Kimada told of how Simba took back the throne and his kingdom alongside Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and the rest of the pride.

When he was finished, Mikazo thought about the story he had just heard and about the one Kimada had told him when they first met, about Zira's plan to use Kovu to get revenge on Simba, revenge, as Mikazo had found out from this most recent tale, for the death of Scar. As he was thinking about it, he remembered something Kimada had said just after telling him the story of Zira's plan: "_Of course, I joined the pride after this all happened.__So I'd say Simba's a very good king._"

"Kimada, when we first met, didn't you say you _joined _Simba's pride? You weren't born here?" he asked, hoping he wasn't being too nosy. He and Kimada were already pretty good friends, but that still seemed a rather personal question to ask someone he'd only known a few days.

Kimada nodded. "Yeah, I was accepted into the pride back when I was a cub, still pretty young." Seeing Mikazo's expression, he said, "Don't worry, I don't mind talking about it."

"Okay, may I ask what happened?" Mikazo asked tentatively.

"I wasn't born in a pride, both my parents were rogues," Kimada told him. "They'd left their old pride to start a new one of their own when they got together. My mom told me that they left their old pride because there were too many lions in that pride and the territory didn't have enough food to support them all. We lived in a cave out in the Savannah, a little way from here, but not too far.

Kimada's voice dropped in tone, and Mikazo could hear the sadness in his friend's voice as he continued. "I was about five months old and almost done with my mom's milk when my mom and I heard my dad and another lion roaring. It sounded like they were fighting. Mom and I were in our cave, but Dad was out in the Savannah, a bit away but still within earshot. I heard the other lion telling my dad that he was going to kill him so he could take my mother as his mate. My mom told me to stay in the cave, and then she ran to help Dad.

"She had been gone only a few minutes when I heard my dad's roaring get cut off. I ran out of the cave to see if he was okay. My mom was fighting with a rogue lion, my dad was laying on the ground next to them, and the wounds on him... Well, it was pretty obvious that Dad was gone, not- not alive anymore, but just then, I couldn't believe it. I thought that maybe he was just injured, and once Mom took care of that rogue, Dad could be nursed back to health." Kimada's voice trembled briefly, and he cleared his throat and continued only slightly more steadily, seemingly through force-of-will. "My mother was attacking the rogue viciously. I've never even seen her claw prey like that. The rogue had to attack Mom as well, had to fight back, or she would have killed him, but instead it was the other way around. While I was watching, he killed her.

"I'd backed into a small hole in the wall of our cave and hid there. The rogue tried to reach in for me but he couldn't quite get at me. Then he told me it didn't matter, I'd die without my mom, anyway, and he left. I waited until I was sure he was gone, then crawled out of the hole and tried to get my parents up. But they wouldn't get up, no matter how hard I tried. I knew they must be dead, but... I tried to get them up anyway. After a while, I gave up, laid down and curled up next to them. I wouldn't have lasted long without milk or food of some kind, but it was less than a day before I heard someone walking up. It was Simba. He told me later that he sometimes goes out past the Pride Lands borders to make sure that the surrounding area is safe, that the Pride Lands aren't in any danger from anything happening out beyond the borders.

"Anyway, he walked up to me and I thought that I was dead for sure, I'd never met Simba before and thought he might be like that rogue. Instead, of course, he was nice to me. He cleaned up my fur, told me he was sorry about my parents, then he told me that he would take me somewhere safe.

Kimada let out a deep sigh, then finished, "He carried me here to Pride Rock. They gave me meat since none of the lionesses here had any milk. I was a little young to be weaned, but not all that young. I did great with the meat. Anyway, that's how I started living in this pride."

The whole time Kimada had been talking he'd been staring at the horizon, his eyes unfocused, lost in the memory.

"Kimada, I'm sorry about what happened," Mikazo started to say, horrified by what his friend had gone through. Kimada always seemed so cheerful all the time, and he hadn't even considered that something as horrible as that may have happened to him. How his friend had remained so cheerful, Mikazo wasn't sure, but he had to admire him for it. But what Kimada had gone through was awful.

"It's alright," Kimada interrupted before he could say any more. "It happened over a year ago. I'm okay."

"Okay," Mikazo said, somewhat doubtfully. He had to wonder if even a year's worth of time could help a lion completely get over something like that, but he would take Kimada's word for it. "That's good."

They didn't talk for a little while after that, just relaxed together, enjoying the remaining daylight.

As the two of them watched the sun go down, Mikazo started thinking about his pride again. He wondered what his pride mates were doing now on this warm evening, and, with considerably darker musings and guesses, he wondered what their new king was up to, as well. Perhaps he was busy slaughtering some other innocent, defenseless creature, as seemed to be his habit.

He truly wanted to see what was happening in his lands just now, and perhaps it was time he took a look around back home. Though he knew it would be foolhardy to try to fight the rogue for his pride before he was ready, he thought that it was probably a good idea to sneak around down there and check around. Maybe he could see what was happening, make sure the lions in his pride were being treated right, and even if they weren't, to at least see just what their lives were like right now.

Mikazo told Kimada that he wanted to talk to Simba for a second, then he went to a smooth rock near the edge of Pride Rock where Simba and Nala were laying, lounging in the sunlight.

He greeted them, then told Simba his idea. When he was done, he asked, "So, do you think it would be okay if I go to check on my pride, if I'm careful not to be seen?"

Simba and Nala exchanged a look, and then Simba nodded slightly before turning back to Mikazo. "I think that's a good idea," Simba said after a moment. "We can leave tomorrow afternoon so that we arrive there as it gets dark. The dark will help keep us hidden."

Mikazo stared at him. "We?" he asked, wondering if he'd misheard.

Simba nodded again and raised his eyebrows with a smile. "You don't think I'd let you go alone, do you? If the rogue finds you there, you'll need some help."

Mikazo started to speak, planning to protest, but Simba cut him off.

"The pride will be alright without me for a little while," Simba said, correctly guessing what Mikazo had been about to bring up. He tilted his head toward his mate with a smile. "Nala will be here. And so will Kiara and Kovu. The pride will be fine while I'm gone."

"I'll try to keep the Pride Lands from going down in flames for a day," Nala agreed. "It should be a simple enough thing..."

"Should be, but usually isn't," Simba added with a smirk. "Anyway, I'll be coming with you, Mikazo."

Mikazo grinned. Though he hadn't been expecting it, and he felt a bit bad about taking Simba away from his duties to help him with this, he was grateful to have someone go with him. "Thanks!" he said.

"You're welcome." Simba said, and then looked of the edge of Pride Rock's promontory toward the sun. As they had been talking, the sun had drifted down until it was barely visible, turning the sky brilliant orange and bright yellow. "Well, I'm going to go to sleep now. Good night, Mikazo."

"Good night," he replied.

Nala added her own farewell as she, too, stood and stretched, then the king and queen went into the cave for the night. Mikazo went back over to Kimada, his steps brisk with excitement at triumph at having his plan to check on his pride approved.

Mikazo told Kimada about how he was going to visit his pride tomorrow, and how Simba had offered to join him. To his surprise, as soon as he was finished speaking, Kimada said, "So, we're going to leave tomorrow afternoon, right?"

Mikazo blinked. "Are you saying you're coming with us?"

"Yep." Kimada's tone with brisk and cheerful.

"But it isn't your pride, you don't need to make sure it's okay." Mikazo tilted his head. "Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but this isn't your problem."

Kimada shrugged. "True. But you're my friend and I'm not gonna let you go without me, am I? There's no way you're going on an adventure without me." He paused. "Besides, it is your pride, and since you're my friend, that makes it my problem, too."

Mikazo was really grateful to Kimada, and touched by his words and the depth of friendship he was already showing, despite the short length of time they had known each other. But he thought he should try one more time. "Thanks. But it could be dangerous, do you really want to risk getting killed when you don't have to?"

"Staying here would be boring. I'll be fine, and besides, you'll need me there to watch your back, anyway." Kimada gave him a cocky grin.

Mikazo grinned as well and shot back playfully, "I'm perfectly capable of watching my own back, thanks."

"_Sure_," Kimada drew out the word in a sarcastic drawl, then said more seriously, "Well, I'm coming, anyway."

Mikazo nodded. "Thanks."

"Any time!" Kimada, like Simba had, cast a look at the setting sun. "I think I'm going to sleep, too, now. See you tomorrow."

"Good night."

Kimada went inside the cave and made his way to his sleeping spot. Mikazo stayed outside for a little longer, laying on the cooling stone and watching the first few stars appear, enjoying the start of the cooler night-time breeze after the heat of the day.

When all signs of twilight disappeared below the horizon and darkness took over the sky entirely, Mikazo went inside the cave as well.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, after training, Kimada told Simba that he would like to come along to Mikazo's old home. Simba, though dubious at first, eventually agreed. He said, however, that Kimada could only come if he promised to do exactly as Simba said; hiding when he says so, and so on.

Kimada cheerfully went along with the terms, clearly very excited to be able to make the trip along with Simba and Mikazo.

When they got back to Pride Rock from the training field, the lions ate, then rested on the rocks. And, in Simba, Kimada, and Mikazo's case, waited for the afternoon adventure to come.

When the time finally arrived, they set out across the Pride Lands. Mikazo was rather jumpy from a combination of excitement and nervousness. It had been so long since he'd seen his pride mates and he'd been worried about them from the moment he left. Now he'd finally get to see for himself how they fared. To say the anticipation had him on edge was an understatement.

The group crossed the border, leaving Simba's territory behind. As they traveled into the regions that lay between the two prides, Simba estimated that they would arrive at Mikazo's pride at around the time the sun set.

When he said this, Mikazo glanced up at the late dry season sun. It was in the middle of the sky, having rose to its peak a short time ago. It would still be a while before they got to the land's occupied by Mikazo's pride.

Mikazo wasn't sure whether the longer wait was a bad thing or a good thing. His nervousness was now so strong that he was finding it hard not to jump out of his fur whenever the wind ruffled the grass. On the other paw, he wanted to get to his pride as quickly as possible to make sure that his pride mates were doing alright, and the fear that they might not be in good health made him all the more anxious to arrive in his homelands.

They'd been traveling for a while now. Kimada was almost leaping with excitement as he told Mikazo that he hadn't been outside the Pride Lands' borders since Simba had taken him in as a cub. It was clear that Kimada was thoroughly enjoying the adventure. Mikazo couldn't blame him, and he knew that he, too, would have been excited and cheerful had it not been his pride they were heading to and had he not been so worried about his pride mates.

The three lions had been talking to each other quite a bit when they were inside the Pride Lands, but since passing the border, conversation was becoming less frequent. Their mood was changing from one of excitement to one of caution. Well, for all of them but one. Kimada's enthusiasm hadn't seemed to diminish at all, though he wisely followed the lead of the other two lions in their cautious behavior.

Just as Simba had predicted, the sun had just fallen below the horizon and the moon was beginning its upward journey by the time they reached the edge of Mikazo's birthplace.

They paused there for a moment, each lion checking for any fresh scent, any sign that Mikazo's pride mates, or their rogue ruler, had been here recently. The newest scent was a little more than half a day old, Mikazo noticed, so it was likely no other lions were too near this part of the territory.

With his fore-paws resting on the borderline of Mikazo's land, Simba looked back at the other two. "Are you both ready?" he asked quietly.

"You bet," Kimada said with a brisk nod.

Mikazo opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, so he just nodded instead.

"Alright," Simba said. "Let's go." He crossed into the territory.

Taking a deep breath, Mikazo followed.


	5. A Glimpse Of Home

**Hi there! This chapter took longer than usual, and I apologize. I got stuck on a few scenes and didn't want to just write something out for the sake of having something to post. I hope it's worth the wait. Thank you for reading this far. **

Mikazo glanced around nervously as the trio of lions crossed the border into his pride's territory, his heart racing as his senses were bombarded with the familiar sights and scents of his home.

They were in a large open field, the grass around them blowing gently in the night-time breeze. Far to his left he could see the gleam of moonlight reflecting faintly off the surface of the large lake. In the dim light it was otherwise indistinguishable from the ground. This lake was, aside from the thin river, the main source of water in his lands. A few trees dotted the field here and there, their shapes familiar and welcoming. He could hear their leaves rustling in the wind and he listened quietly, as he'd done on hundreds of nights in the not so distant past.

He stayed just behind Simba as they traveled into his territory, careful to make as little noise as possible. While they walked it occurred to him how unfair it was that he needed to be quiet here, in the land of his birth, the land where his father was the rightful king until he was viciously struck down by a rotten rogue who need not have killed to win control of a pride! Now Mikazo had to sneak around as though he were a trespasser, a rogue himself! It was beyond irritating. This was his own territory!

Mikazo forced himself to swallow his frustration as best as he could. He knew they needed to move silently, to stay unheard and unnoticed, and getting agitated wasn't going to do anything to help him stay quiet. He couldn't allow his anger to get them all caught by the rogue. Getting himself attacked or even killed would be bad enough, but putting Kimada and Simba in danger because of his own lack of self-control was intolerable.

Simba led the way through the field, with Mikazo and Kimada following close behind. All three lions were keeping close to the edge of the border, slowly making their way deeper into the territory while they kept a sharp eye out for signs of life, especially that of the rogue lion.

After walking for a few minutes without any sign of another lion, it became clear that if any of Mikazo's pride were awake, they weren't anywhere near this part of the land.

Simba dropped back to walk next to the other two, his bright golden form appearing little more than a dark shadow in the night. "Mikazo, which way to where your pride lives?" he asked in a low voice.

"It's near the center of the territory," Mikazo answered, keeping his voice quiet as well. "My pride lives in a cave on a slightly higher point than the rest of the valley. My mother told me that the king who found the cave- who was my great-great-great-something-or-other grandfather. I'm not sure, but I think he was my great-grandfather's great-grandfather- but whatever he was, Mom said that he chose it because it was higher, and if it rains, there's less chance of flood."

Simba nodded. "Alright, you'll need to lead the way there, just be careful."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath to brace himself, Mikazo took the lead with Simba a step behind him.

Kimada, meanwhile, was looking at the land around him with interest. "Pretty nice place ya got here, Mikazo," he said suddenly, his voice low but sincere. "Though of course it's nowhere near as great as the Pride Lands," he added teasingly, tossing a grin in Mikazo's direction, just barely visible in the dark.

"Well, it's not as _big _as the Pride Lands, no. But I'm not so sure about not as _great,_" Mikazo said back in the same tone Kimada used. They might not technically be his lands at the moment, but that didn't mean he wasn't proud of them. The Pride Lands might be stunning in its beauty, but this was Mikazo's home, and it would always hold a higher spot in his heart and mind for that reason alone.

"Whatever you say, Mikazo," Kimada said, chuckling.

Simba shot them a slightly exasperated glance. "We're _sneaking,_ remember? It might help to be quiet," he told them, clearly trying for a reprimanding tone.

Though he was obviously amused.

"Right," both of the younger lions replied, before quieting down.

The lions continued to walk through the grassland, heading cautiously toward the center of the territory.

Eventually, they could see a cave on the horizon, a dark hulking shape against the night sky. It was not nearly as large or as impressive as Pride Rock, the monolith in which the Pride Landers lived, but it was still a very nice cave. This pride's home was low and sprawling, and with a nice, large entrance, wide enough that it allowed warm sunshine to pour through on colder days, and a nice breeze on warmer ones. Mikazo stared at it, feeling a lump form in his throat at the sight of his old home, which he hadn't seen for two months and which was, even now, when he was so close to it physically, still so far from being his again.

There was a stream of water in a low channel leading toward and going just past the mouth of the cave. As they'd walked through his territory, Mikazo had told Simba about this stream, and the golden lion had agreed that it would be a good idea to stay in the water as they watched the cave. The water would hide their scent and the rogue wouldn't be able to tell that they had been there when he woke in the morning. They had to take every precaution to be sure that the rogue wouldn't know that there had been trespassers in the night, and they especially had to avoid the chance that he might recognize Mikazo's scent among the others. Mikazo was certain his pride mates, at least, would recognize his scent if it was there to be found, and while he knew that they would never tell the rogue that it was his, it was still a risk none of them wanted to take.

They stepped into the water, which was cool compared to the air around them, but not chilly.

Simba flicked his tail, signaling them to get down. The two younger lions crouched reluctantly as the water soaked into their belly fur. Mikazo bit back a sigh at the uncomfortable feeling of the water matting his stomach fur into clumps.

As they crept closer to the cave, traveling in the stream with slow, silent paw-steps, Mikazo strained his eyes for any sign of his pride mates; a moving shadow, a flash of fur. But the entrance of the cave was pitch-black in the darkness, only discernible from the rest of the cave by its deeper blackness. He could see nothing inside. But when he scented the air, the familiar scents of his pride mates washed over him.

Mikazo's breath caught as those scents spun around him, the scents he knew as well as he knew his own. He wanted so badly to run into the cave and see his pride again, his home. And he wished desperately, impossibly, that if he did, he would be greeted not only by his pride mates, but by his mother and father as well.

With a stab of pain, he turned his gaze from the cave's entrance, trying to get his mind off his parents. He needed to think clearly if he was going to avoid getting caught. But as he looked away from the mouth of the cave his eyes fell onto the spot to the right of it where his mother and father had fought and been killed by the rogue.

The grass that grew there was strong and healthy, having been little affected by the trampling paws and extended claws of the battling lions. What had been trampled and ripped had since regrown.

Something about the sight of that healthy and unaffected grass infuriated. What right did that patch of grass have to be unaffected when his life and the lives of the rest of the lions in his pride had been so drastically changed, so drastically damaged? The ground there should be bare and torn, the dirt split and cracked. The rightful king and queen had died there. It just wasn't right that it was so green and alive.

Mikazo jumped in surprise when he felt a wet paw rest lightly on his shoulder. He realized he'd been growling quietly only when he'd stopped doing so, and he looked over to see Kimada watching him with a concerned expression.

"I'm fine," he said before Kimada could speak, and then thought to himself that if it was up to him, that rogue sure wouldn't be fine. That rogue had killed his parents and had driven him out; and in that moment, as his grief over his loss was joined by a surge of anger and hatred, Mikazo wanted little more than to murder the rogue himself.

Kimada removed his paw from Mikazo's shoulder, but looked unconvinced, and Mikazo wondered what his expression looked like just then.

Next to him, he heard Simba whisper a caution: "Don't do anything rash, alright?"

Drawing in a strained breath as he did his best to rein in his emotions, Mikazo jerked his head in a stiff nod. He wouldn't do anything rash. He appreciated the calm voice beside him.

They waded to the edge of the creek where it flowed right by the small clearing that surrounded the entrance to the cave. The stream was bordered by tall reeds, making it a fairly effective hiding place. The area just in front of the cave was clear of grass aside from the occasional scraggly tuft, the dirt there having been packed hard by all the lion paws that crossed there day after day, the ground becoming too hard for all but the most persistent seeds to take root. As there was no natural covering to the cave entrance, it was possible to see inside the cave through the reeds.

The three of them inched forward through the cool water until they were next to the mouth of the cave.

With nervous excitement causing the fur to stand up along his spine, Mikazo craned his neck around the side of the entrance and looked inside.

The inside of the cave was roomy on both sides, and reached fairly far back. Here and there along the edges were smaller, more sheltered caves that branched off the main one. They were good places to sleep, or simply to sit and talk with pride mates.

Much like in Pride Rock's cave, the walls had stone ledges, both large and small, scattered along them. Mikazo remembered how those ledges had always been fun to climb when he'd been younger. Even if his mother had never let him get as high up as he would have liked, she had still let him climb them, and while he had disliked what he had then considered over-protection from his mother, he realized that she'd had his best interests at heart. Some of those ledges reached quite high, and if he had plummeted off one of the top ones as a small cub, it could have easily ended badly.

He tried to see inside the cave to see if he could catch a glimpse of any of his pride mates, but what moonlight there was- and there wasn't a lot- didn't do much to help him see.

After a few seconds his eyes adjusted a bit to the dim light and he began to pick out leonine shapes dotting the cave floor, and his heart leaped.

Nearest the entrance to the cave, he could see the dark-tan coat of Uzuri, who lay curled in a loose ball, and he noticed with a jolt of deep sorrow that there was no cub nestled against her side. The rogue must have killed the precious cub, as Mikazo had guessed he would.

With a flash of guilt that nearly overwhelmed him, that caused his legs to tremble beneath him, Mikazo suddenly wondered if he could have taken Uzuri's cub, who had only been two months old, along with him. Maybe he could have kept the young cub safe and alive while on that journey, and maybe now the little guy could have been safe and cared for at Simba's Pride Lands. If he had done it that way, if he'd kept Uzuri's son safe, then maybe he could have gotten him back to his mother when Mikazo took back his pride from the rogue. Now, however, the sweet little guy was dead, and Uzuri had lost her son.

With his heart heavy with sadness and guilt, he remembered how the rogue had chased him into the nearby set of underground caves. He had just barely stayed ahead of the rogue and had only been able to do so because he had run through a thorn bush patch. He'd slipped underneath the low-hanging branches of the bush and had run flat out toward the underground tunnels. The bush had been small, had scratched along his back with its thorns, but it had also been prickly enough that it had distracted the rogue rather effectively. This had allowed Mikazo to reach the underground tunnels without the rogue catching up to him, and then when he'd resurfaced near the border, he had run from his territory.

Thinking back on that harrowing day, he realized that it wouldn't have been possible to do all that he'd had to do to escape if he'd been carrying Uzuri's cub in his mouth. As slight as the cub's weight had been, it would have slowed him down because he would have needed to keep watch to be sure he didn't knock the cub into anything like the thorns of that thorn bush patch while running with him. And even if he had simply allowed the cub to get slightly scratched up in favor of getting them both out of there alive, then the simple action of running with the cub in his jaws would have slowed him down, not so much because of the added weight, but because of the awkwardness it would cause. If he had needed to move more slowly for those reasons, the rogue would have caught him and then he and the cub would both be dead.

In fact, Mikazo knew he wouldn't have been able to get past the rogue to get to the cub in the first place. On top of that, Uzuri's son had still been months away from being weaned, and without Uzuri to feed him milk, he would have starved to death even if Mikazo had been able to escape with him. There would have been nothing he could do to sustain the little guy over the two months that Mikazo had traveled before finding the Pride Lands, and he would have been forced to watch helplessly as he'd starved, a prospect that made Mikazo shiver in horror. No, despite his desperate wish that he could have, he couldn't think of anything he could have done differently to save Uzuri's son.

This reasoning eased his guilt a bit, but he hoped that Uzuri didn't think that he might have been able to save her cub. He was pretty sure she wouldn't blame him, but this was her cub and lionesses were very protective of their young. Mikazo had really loved that cute little guy. He wished that there had been a way to save him.

Uzuri was one of his favorites in his pride, though there were so few other lions in the pride that he wasn't sure that was saying much. He remembered how Uzuri would sometimes tell him bedtime stories at night, helping him get to sleep with stories of adventures and heroes. She wasn't related to Mikazo that he knew of, but he thought of her as something like an aunt, which he supposed was possible as she wasn't all that much younger than his parents. He had never asked, though as she looked nothing like either Mikazo's mother or his father, he didn't think it likely.

A little further into the pride's home he could make out the form of Cheneta. Her dark brown coat was only distinguishable from the floor of the cave by the steady rise and fall of her breathing. He could just see the flicker of her black tail-tip twitching as she slept. She was younger then Uzuri by a few years, but was still the second oldest in the pride now that his parents were gone.

Cheneta was always fun to play with when he was younger. She had usually let him tug on her ears and tail-tip, offering only a token complaint. As he'd grown into a near adult, she and Mikazo had been good friends, though he wasn't as close to her as the other three lionesses of his pride. That said, Cheneta was, of course, still a lioness that he cared deeply about. She'd been there since the day he'd been born, and was as much a part of him as were the rest of his pride mates.

Looking a little deeper into the cave, he spotted Nuru right away. Her pale tan, almost white fur shone like a star even in the dim moonlight and deep shadows cast in the sheltering cave.

Nuru was one of the nicest, most gentle lions in the pride, and before the rogue had come and taken over, she had taken to checking Mikazo's fur for burrs and his paw pads for thorns whenever he came back from the day's exploring. It had been a little annoying, but he had let her do it because she'd seemed to want to and he had loved being one of the darlings of the lionesses of his pride.

Nuru was a little more than two years older than Mikazo. She had occasionally gone on adventures with him, explorations of their lands, and had showed him some of the places she'd discovered when she was a cub; judging by how many hidden niches and out of the way areas Nuru had known about, she had gotten up to quite a bit of mischief as a cub.

Off to one side of the cave he could see now was Tumaini, who was sleeping with her head resting on her fore-paws. In the daytime, her reddish-brown fur was almost as bright as Nuru's coat.

Tumaini was the youngest in the pride after Mikazo. She was almost a year older than him and had usually gone along with him when he went out exploring. She was his closest friend in his pride, and they had done nearly everything together from the time Mikazo had been just a few months old to when he had been forced to run from his lands. Whenever Mikazo had gone exploring, Tumaini had almost always been a steady presence at his side, having just as much fun as he did.

Mikazo was inexpressibly glad that Tumaini had been old enough when the rogue came and took over that she wasn't considered a cub anymore. Legally, had she been only a few months younger, he could have killed her, and almost certainly would have.

Now with only one more lion to spot in the cave, the one which now ruled his lands, he reluctantly shifted his gaze toward the middle of the cave, where the king and queen slept.

The dark tawny fur of the rogue gleamed like amber, his black mane blending perfectly with the darkness around him. The new king lay sprawled out in the spot where Mikazo's parents once slept, where he himself had often slept, curled snugly against the warmth of his family. And the former rogue was laying there as though he owned the spot!

Mikazo dug his claws downward until they sank deep into the silt beneath the water, trying to quell the urge to fling himself at the rogue by imagining the dirt beneath his claws as tawny fur. He barely noticed that Simba and Kimada had tensed beside him, and both were giving him looks that made it clear they were worried that despite what he'd said, he _would_ do something rash. And he _was _very close to doing something rash. That lion had killed Mikazo's parents and he deserved the same if not worse to happen to him!

Mikazo tried without success to banish the mental image of the tawny rogue with Mikazo's dead parents at his paws. And the one that sprang up after that, of himself tearing the rogue to pieces.

He wondered if he attacked now while the rogue was asleep, would he be able to kill the stronger adult lion then and there?

_Maybe,_ said a voice in his head. _But do you_ really _want to get your throne back that way? As dishonorably as the rogue himself took the throne from your parents?_

An instant after that thought passed through Mikazo's mind, he froze in place.

_No. _Mikazo shook his head to himself and took a step back, his paws moving silently through the water of the stream. He forced himself to relax from his attack-ready stance. Revenge for the murder of his parents was one thing, and was truly tempting, but if he attacked the rogue now, he would likely be killed. Then his pride mates would be stuck for good with the cruel tawny lion for a king. And if he did manage to beat the rogue, then it would be in a way that he himself would only be able to call cowardice of the worst kind, something that was in its very nature, morally wrong. That was not the way a king should act.

If he was going to be the king of this pride he wanted to be an honorable one, a good one who didn't stray toward the pull of anger and revenge but acted with honor and for justice. And killing a lion while he slept– regardless of who the lion was, or what horrible things he had done– didn't seem like the kind of thing a good king would do. As difficult as it was to ignore the fury that erupted inside him at the sight of the rogue, Mikazo couldn't allow himself to give in to that emotion.

Mikazo knew that his father wouldn't have done it, and he didn't think Hodari would want Mikazo to do something like that, either. The fact that Hodari had passed on had not in the least lessened Mikazo's desire to make his father proud of him. With one last deep breath, Mikazo took a second step away from the cave, closing his eyes briefly as he regained control of himself.

A glance at the other two lions who'd traveled here with him showed both looking relieved, and he thought he saw what might have been respect in Simba's eyes. That secured his belief that he was doing the right thing, the honorable thing, by refraining from attacking a lion as he slept.

Hearing a slight sound in the den, he instantly whipped his head back to look as alarm shot through him. Thankfully, it was just Cheneta moving in her sleep, just as she often did when she was dreaming.

He realized then that if any of them were to wake and look toward the mouth of the cave, they likely would see him. And while he didn't believe for a moment that any of them would tell their new king he was there, chances were that if he weren't the one to wake first, the sounds of wakefulness around him would get him up.

Mikazo was standing at the entrance to the cave with what light there was behind him; he guessed that would make him very noticeable, even with the reeds that surrounded him.

Mikazo hastily crouched back down until he was almost laying on his wet stomach, the water soaking up to his shoulders, and kept still.

The scuffling sounds stopped as Cheneta fell back into a deep sleep, and Mikazo let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

He wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting to see when he decided to check on his pride. He had just wanted to make sure that they were alright.

He scanned their pelts as best he could in the darkness. He couldn't see any wounds. Their fur was smooth and unmarked. But he wasn't convinced that just because he couldn't see any wounds on them, that they were unharmed. Claws and teeth were not the only way to harm someone. He wondered how they were all dealing with the deaths of Mikazo's parents, their king and queen. Mikazo had not been the only one among his pride to love Hodari and Kawanja, and he knew that his pride mates would be missing them almost as much as he did.

He glanced around at the other two again. Simba had his eyes trained on the rogue. He was watching him carefully, alert for any sign of the rogue waking. Kimada was looking at the lionesses and their cave, only glancing at the new king occasionally.

Mikazo was surprised when Kimada spoke, keeping his voice so low that it was almost lost under the sound of the light wind. "So this was your home, Mikazo?"

Mikazo nodded, speaking as quietly as Kimada was. "Yeah. That's where I grew up."

Kimada turned his gaze to Mikazo. Even in the moonlight his eyes were a bright blue, and at the moment they were filled with sympathy and new understanding. He stared at Mikazo for a moment before speaking. "You'll get it back," he said. Then added in a determined voice, "And I'll help you."

Mikazo blinked in surprise, then touched his friend's shoulder with his tail gratefully. "Thanks, Kimada."

Kimada dipped his head in a rare moment of formality. "You're welcome," he said. Then he grinned and whispered, "Is there any chance that when we get your pride back I can get a hero's feast?" He'd added the last part as a joke, but Mikazo heard a real note of hopefulness in his voice.

"Maybe," Mikazo replied. He wasn't promising anything, though he would probably give in. "I'll see what I can do, but we have to actually beat the rogue before we can have the feast."

Kimada's eyes lit up, and Mikazo wondered if he should have said that last part.

"He'll be gone within the week," Kimada quietly avowed.

Simba interrupted them. "Mikazo, did you see what you came to see?" he asked, his eyes still fixed firmly on the dark tawny rogue.

Mikazo nodded. "Yeah, I think so. My pride mates look alright."

"Then we should get back to Pride Rock. If we stay here much longer we're bound to be caught," Simba said quietly.

"Okay," Mikazo agreed with a sigh.

Kimada and Simba turned and started to creep away from the cave. Mikazo followed them, stopping at the edge of the dirt clearing to look back at his pride's home once again before padding silently after the other two lions.

They left Mikazo's old territory the same way they came, arriving back at the edge of the Pride Lands late in the night. Thankfully, their fur had dried quickly as they walked. By the time they got to Pride Rock, all three lions were yawning widely. Mikazo was sure his legs were going to ache for a month, and his eyes burned with weariness. Traveling all that way in one night hadn't been easy on his paw-pads, and he wasn't looking forward to climbing up the stone path to the pride's cave.

Despite the soreness, he was glad to have seen his lands, his home, and especially his pride mates again.

Though he was so tired he was having trouble putting one paw in front of the other, he asked Simba if he could talk with him for a moment. Simba agreed, shaking his head in what appeared to be an attempt to wake himself up for the chat. It made his red mane fly out on all sides out before settling to lay flat again.

The two lions sat down at the bottom of Pride Rock.

Mikazo began, "I wanted to thank you for letting me check on my pride and even coming with me when I did."

Simba raised an eyebrow. "It was my pleasure. But that's not all you want to talk about, is it?" he asked.

"Well, no, not just that," Mikazo admitted. "I'm glad that my pride mates seemed to be alright, but I don't know for sure. I didn't see enough today to know whether they are really okay or not. So I would like to go back and check on them again tomorrow or the day after, and then return regularly until I defeat that lion. I just... I need to keep an eye on my pride, make sure they are doing well. I know that I can't ask you to continue escorting me. You have your own pride to look after. I can go alone. I'll be careful not to get caught, just like we were today, and I'll make my trips there are short as I can so there's less chance of being found."

As Simba watched him with a worried expression, Mikazo continued, determined to convince the king.

"I have to see if my pride mates are alright, Simba, I really do. And," he said, suddenly thinking of another upside to his idea, "if I can spy on the rogue I may be able to think of a way to defeat him. Wouldn't that give me a chance to see if he has any weakness? A injured hip that healed badly, or something, or if I can't get lucky enough to find a physical weakness, couldn't I still find some kind of weakness in his personality that I could use against him?" Mikazo paused, looking at Simba hopefully.

Simba nodded slowly in agreement, though he still looked reluctant. "That makes sense, and might help you defeat him, but what would you do if he caught you there? From what I've heard, he isn't likely to just let you walk away unscathed." He paused grimly. "Or at all."

"Well, I'll just have to make sure that he doesn't catch me there, won't I? And if he did," he added quickly, noticing Simba's expression, "I could use the fighting moves I've been learning, then run for it when I got the chance."

Simba stared at him doubtfully for a moment, then said, "I suppose I can't really stop you, but I'll come with you one more time, just to be sure that you know how to stay out of sight."

Mikazo smiled, thrilled to have the king's agreement. "Thank you, Simba."

"Any time. If that trip goes well then I suppose you could go by yourself the next time." Simba grimaced slightly, obviously not fond of the thought of Mikazo being by himself while spying on the tawny king.

A voice spoke up from near the entrance of Pride Rock's cave. "He wouldn't be alone with me there."

Surprised, Simba looked up the path to the cave. "Kimada! Didn't you go to sleep?"

Kimada shrugged. "Not yet, I heard Mikazo ask to talk to you so I hung around to hear what was up."

Simba obviously hadn't liked that. "Eavesdropping is wrong, Kimada!" Then he sighed. "I'm not sure that you going with Mikazo is a good idea. This is a very dangerous mission for one lion. Two increases the chances of being caught."

"I can keep quiet just as well as Mikazo can, and if we're caught, two against one is better odds."

"Kimada, I've seen you stalk. You get distracted and forget to be quiet."

"I can do it!"

Simba looked doubtful.

"Well, I can," Kimada insisted. "When I want to. And anyway, I'm not afraid of that rogue. And I'm not about to let Mikazo go by himself."

Simba shook his head in a defeated kind of way. "Alright, I'll agree. You can go with Mikazo. But I'm still going to be coming along the next time you go."

"Alright!" Kimada enthused.

Mikazo padded up the slope, stopping next to Kimada. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

"I promised to help you get your pride back, didn't I?" Kimada told him.

"Yep. You did. You're a good friend," Mikazo said, then stifled a yawn as he remembered how tired he was. He'd meant it. Kimada really was a good friend. His ancestors in the stars must have helped him find his way to Pride Rock. He'd only been here a few days and he'd made what he knew could only be a lifelong friend.

Standing in the entrance to the cave were Timon and Pumbaa, Simba's meerkat and warthog friends, who seemed to be trying to settle an argument by playing their own strange version of rock-paper-scissors, one that accommodated Pumbaa's hooves.

Simba walked right in between the two insectivores, who immediately stopped their arguing and trotted into the cave with Simba, posting themselves on either side of him. Pumbaa started happily telling the Lion King about this place they had found earlier. It was apparently rich with bugs, worms and grubs of different flavors. Then the meerkat and warthog duo started arguing again about whether the dark blue beetles tasted sweeter then the brown ones, and Mikazo, already used to their arguments despite the short time he had been at Pride Rock, attempted to tune them out, not wanting to hear about the different flavors of insects.

Nala had stayed up to wait for Simba, who was grateful for her consideration. He enjoyed falling asleep together with his mate. After saying goodnight to the two younger lions and to Timon and Pumbaa, Simba laid down and enfolded his lioness in his strong, capable arms. Timon climbed onto his best friend's back and the unlikely duo offered their own goodnight wishes before curling up in their favorite spot.

Mikazo was about to go to his own sleeping spot when Kimada spoke up. "Hey, why don't we sleep outside tonight?"

Mikazo looked outside again. The air was comfortably warm and the stars sparkled in the sky. "Yeah, okay. It might be fun to sleep out there rather than in a cave for once," he said. Even when he had been traveling for two months, Mikazo had almost always managed to find somewhere to sleep that was relatively protected from the elements, though usually not a cave. He had spent most nights curled up under bushes or trees with bowing branches, which, while certainly not ideal, were still more sheltered than sleeping out in the open. Sleeping under the stars with nothing in between him and the sky sounded wonderful, as long as the weather was good. And this night, the weather seemed wonderful.

The two lions went out onto the rocky outcropping just outside the cave and laid down near the edge, where a pleasant breeze tugged lightly at their fur, keeping the air from feeling too warm.

Mikazo stretched his front paws out and arched his back, then curled his tail against his side and rested his head on his front paws. Before he closed his eyes, he looked up at the stars, bright and twinkling in the dark sky.

"Hey, Kimada?"

"Yeah?" Kimada said sleepily.

"I was wondering earlier. If the Great Kings of the Past live up in the stars, do you think that _only_ kings live up there?"

Kimada shook his head. "Of course not. If every star is a lion, how could they all be kings? There are so many. I'm sure that my mom and dad are up there, and they weren't king and queen."

"That makes sense," Mikazo said with relief. He paused, looking between Kimada and the resplendent stars, and then turned his gaze back to the sky as he asked, "Which stars do you think are them, then?"

Kimada glanced up at the stars thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, but I think those two could be them." He pointed with a paw up toward two stars high above them that glowed brightly.

Mikazo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, could be them."

"Which do you think are your parents?" Kimada asked.

Mikazo scanned the sky. There were so many he wasn't sure how he could even guess, but then he saw two stars that seemed to almost glitter, bright white and gleaming against the dark blue sky.

"Those two maybe?" he said. Was it his imagination, or did the two stars he pointed out to Kimada just glow brighter?

Kimada looked up at the two stars and said, "Looks like they could be."

"I hope so," Mikazo said softly, his eyes fixed on the pair of stars.

Kimada nodded tiredly just before his jaws split in a yawn so wide it was almost alarming.

Mikazo stared at him in shock, then grinned. "A little sleepy, huh?"

Kimada grinned back at him. "I could say the same about you, you were so tired a few minutes ago that you were tripping over your own paws!" he retorted playfully.

"I did not trip over my own paws," Mikazo said with as straight a face as he could, lifting his head in a dignified manner.

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Di-"

A tan lioness just inside the mouth of the cave let out a slight growl, and they looked over to see her looking at them with a sleepy glare.

The two young lions looked back at each other with guilty expressions. "Oops," they said in unison.

With a huff, the lioness put her head back down and went back to sleep.

"Well," Kimada said in a quieter voice, "shall we continue in the morning?"

"Fine by me," Mikazo said, and as Kimada laid down and closed his eyes, he added, "And I did not."

Kimada snorted in amusement and quickly fell asleep.

Before Mikazo followed his example, he looked up at the stars again. Kimada was right, there were too many stars for them to belong just to kings; so many in fact, that Mikazo found it hard to believe that that many lions had once lived.

He saw a red and yellow bird fluttering over-head in a late night flight and briefly wondered if maybe it wasn't only lions who went to live in the stars when they died. There were so many kinds of animals that Mikazo didn't see how it could be possible that only lions deserved a place in the stars. He had to think that some of the stars must be other animals as well.

He watched the small bright-feathered bird fly toward the horizon and out of sight, then looked up at the two stars he thought might be his parents. After a short while, his head dropped onto his fore-paws and he slept.


	6. Revelations

**Hi! This chapter took more time then I would have liked, but less than I thought it might. I hope it turned out alright. Thanks for reading!**

Mikazo woke up earlier than usual because he was outside and there was nothing shielding his eyes from the morning sun.

With a yawn, he raised his head and looked around though half-lidded eyes, unwilling to open them wide in the bright light just yet. The sky was a pale yellow stained with bright pink, and from where he was laying near the edge of the promontory, he could see the Pride Lands spread out below, tinged a slight gold with the early morning light. Mikazo sighed as he felt the breeze blow through his fur, and still laying down, stretched out all four of his legs. He arched his back as he stood, the bright sun and brisk breeze waking him fully.

There were a few early risers around him. Kimada, of course, was one of them. He saw the silvery-tan furred Nyota lounging on her side nearby, eyes lazily half-closed. And Kudura, the leader of the hunting party from the other day, was a little further away, extending her claws in a stretch before padding off into the grasslands. Her golden-brown fur was glowing faintly in the morning light, and from her brisk pace and lifted head, it was obvious she was looking forward to her walk, despite the early hour. Kukimbia sat nearby, licking a paw and then drawing it fastidiously over her sand-colored ears.

Kimada was sitting in a patch of sun, letting it warm his fur after laying on the night-cooled stone. Seeing that Mikazo was awake, however, Kimada stood and walked over to him. "Hey, you're up early for once!" he exclaimed in exaggerated surprise.

"Hard to stay asleep with that in your eyes," Mikazo replied, jerking his head toward the sun.

Kimada looked up at it and narrowed his eyes against the light. "Good point," he agreed.

"Come on!" they heard Daka's voice call excitedly from just inside the cave, and Mikazo and Kimada both turned to look. "Let's go out and play." The little mahogany cub came bounding out at high speed in front of Kiara and Kovu, who were padding along behind him. Both of the adult lions were looking tired, with their heads lowered and their paws slow.

"Daka, you stayed up half-way the night through playing before you went to bed, aren't you tired?" Kiara asked, watching her cub pounce at the air as though hunting invisible prey.

"Nope!" Daka yelled happily as he reared onto his hind legs and swatted at a few leafy debris carried by the wind.

Kiara sighed and Mikazo could just hear her say quietly, "Well, I am," though he didn't think Daka heard.

Kovu nodded his head in agreement with Kiara, and his jaws parted slightly in a hastily stifled yawn.

The two of them did look like they could use some more sleep, with their heavy eye-lids and ruffled fur that had only been partially groomed. Mikazo padded over to them with Kimada in his wake.

"Hello," Kimada said while Mikazo dipped his head in greeting.

'Hey, guys," Kovu replied, pulling his tail up high as Daka swiped at it with his little claws, attempting to get a hold of the thick tuft of dark fur at the end.

"Hi." Kiara smiled, her usual cheerfulness effected only a little by her sleepiness.

"You two look tired," Kimada noted.

"Yeah." Kovu nodded. "Though Daka hardly seems to need to sleep at all," he added wryly. He flicked his tail down low again for Daka to pounce at, which he immediately did, letting out a cubbish growl.

Kiara affectionately nuzzled her cub's head, a purr rumbling in her throat. "Yep. Daddy probably would have said the same about me when I was a cub," she said as Daka let go of Kovu's tail to bat at her nose. He was a positive bundle of energy, and Mikazo couldn't help but laugh.

Mikazo crouched down near Daka. "Good morning," he said with a smile.

Daka pounced forward, landing in front of Mikazo's muzzle and waving his tail in the air playfully. "Hi!"

Mikazo, still crouching, looked back up at Kiara and Kovu. "If you want to go back to sleep for a while, I could watch Daka," he offered.

"Really?" Kiara asked, looking relieved; she was clearly in need of more rest.

Mikazo nodded, smiling. "Sure." He wouldn't mind spending time with the cute cub. "If that's alright with you, it would be great to play with him."

"Thanks," Kovu said gratefully. "We could both use a little more sleep."

Kimada spoke up. "I'll help watch him, too. It'll be fun." He swiped a paw gently at Daka, who immediately flipped on his back as he grabbed the paw in all four of his and started chewing on it, play growling as he did so. Kimada winced but didn't seem to mind the sharp, little teeth sinking through his fur. After all, it wasn't doing any real damage and Daka was enjoying the game.

"Okay, thanks," Kiara said, and laid down next to Daka, who released Kimada and turned to his mother. "Are you okay with playing with Mikazo and Kimada for a little?" she asked the cub.

"Yeah," Daka squeaked. "They're funny!"

"Yes, they are." Kiara grinned at the two nearly-grown lions and then grabbed her son with a paw and licked his head. Daka squirmed and pawed his mother's muzzle, purring softly.

Kovu leaned down nudged Daka with his nose. "Have fun," he told his son, putting a paw as large as Daka himself on the little cub's back.

"And behave yourself," Kiara added. Kovu sent her a strange look at that, his eyebrows lifted.

"I will!" Daka promised readily.

And, after another nuzzle from each, his parents headed back to into Pride Rock's cave for a rest. As they walked, Mikazo heard Kovu mutter to Kiara, "It sounds just plain weird hearing _you_ tell someone to behave."

Kiara let out a playful growl. "Well, get used to it," she retorted, grinning. Then they were in the cave and Mikazo couldn't hear if Kovu said anything in return.

Daka turned toward the other two young lions, though they towered over the cub nearly as much as his parents did. "So, let's play!" he said cheerfully, his red-brown eyes glowing.

"Alright, let's go," Kimada said cheerfully. He started down the path toward the grasslands, leaping easily from rock to rock. Daka scrambled along next to him, keeping up well despite his small size. Mikazo took up the rear, keeping pace as he watched to make sure Daka's paws didn't slip on the stone.

The three of them trotted into the high grass surrounding Pride Rock. As the stalks enfolded the cub and blocked his view, he let out an indignant noise and started leaping high every few steps, trying to see over the grass that rose above his head.

Mikazo watched the cub with amusement, glad that he himself was now tall enough to see over the grass. A little over a year ago, that hadn't been the case. Now, it was as high as his sides. Eventually grass this tall would just brush Mikazo's belly, but he still had a little growing to do himself.

When Daka jumped up to see again and then landed with a loud _oomph_, Mikazo took pity on him. "Would you like me to carry you so you can see?" he offered.

"No, thanks!" Daka said as his head reappeared above the grass and then disappeared. "I'm okay!" he added as he jumped again.

"Alright," Mikazo said with a grin. He continued to watch the little lion jump with every other step. Mikazo decided that he quite liked Daka. The little guy was pretty cute.

Not far from Pride Rock, they walked past a herd of grazing antelope, which, of course, attracted Daka's attention at once. "Hey, look!" he said loudly, causing both Mikazo and Kimada jump at the sudden call. "Those are antelope, right?" Daka grinned excitedly as an idea hit him. "I'm gonna catch one and bring it home for Mom and Dad!"

He darted forward toward the herd of antelope, the grass stalks he brushed against rustling wildly as he rushed at full, break-neck speed toward his 'prey'. The brown and white animals, alerted by the noisy approach, all jerked up from their grazing and turned to look at the little cub. As one, the herd stared in surprise- and quite a bit of disbelief- as Daka leapt at them, a small form springing through the air at animals more than seven times his size, only to be caught in mid-pounce by Kimada's paw.

"Hey!" Daka protested indignantly as Kimada set him back on the ground, bundling him sideways and away from the antelope.

"You might want to save the antelope hunting for a little later," Kimada told the cub in a low voice that the herd wouldn't overhear.

The leader of the herd stamped his hoof and tossed his head in annoyance, his huge curving horns flashing in the sun. With a snort, he placed himself between his herd and the three young lions in a clearly protective stance, his eyes narrowed and muscles bunched.

"Hi," Mikazo said to the leader, trying to look calm and as non-intimidating as possible. "Um, sorry about that. We're not hunting your herd, don't worry. Or anyone, for that matter. We're just watching over Daka while his parents rest." He couldn't be sure whether the aggravated antelope would try to hurt Daka, and with those sharp horns and powerful hooves, he was more than capable of causing harm. So as he spoke, Mikazo slowly moved to stand just in front of the cub, who was already restrained by Kimada's paw placed firmly on his tiny back.

The leader of the antelope herd looked at Mikazo threateningly for a moment, unsure whether he was being truthful and that the lions really weren't a danger to his herd. Then he glanced at the cub again and relaxed, clearly realizing they wouldn't take such a young lion on a hunt. "Daka, you say?" the antelope said questioningly, turning his dark gaze back to the two older lions. "The cub of Princess Kiara?"

"That's right," Kimada answered.

"Hmm. Well, just keep him out from under our hooves," the antelope leader said as he nodded goodbye in an irritable way before turning and melting back into his herd.

"Why, I oughta..." Daka said, staring in the place the leader of the antelope had just been. "Just keep me out from under their hooves?" the cub repeated in incredulous disbelief.

Mikazo had to struggle not to laugh at the expression on Daka's face; it was priceless.

"Don't mind him," Kimada told him. He nudged the cub conspiratorially. "He's just upset that when you grow up you'll have a nice, thick mane and all he has are sticks coming out of the back of his head."

Daka giggled.

"Kimada..." Mikazo said, exasperated.

"What?" he asked innocently, though the grin spreading across his muzzle ruined the effect.

"Never mind," Mikazo said, rolling his eyes in defeated amusement.

"Anyway, let's go, we gotta play!" Daka yelled, jumping up and swatting Mikazo's tail-tip playfully.

"Alright," the two older lions said together, and they started off again with Daka trotting alongside Mikazo.

Kimada, who was a few paw-steps ahead of the other two, seemed to be nearly as excited as Daka, who was leaping over rocks and swatting high stalks of grass away with his paws, small claws out. Mikazo would have been lying, though, if he'd said he wasn't looking forward to playing with these two about as much as they seemed to be.

After a little bit, three lions reached an area of the Pride Lands where the grass was a little shorter. It just brushed Daka's chest. Mikazo realized that Kimada had probably been planning to take them to here, since with the shorter grass, it would be easier for the little cub to run and play in than in the taller, thicker grass that covered so much of the Pride Lands just now.

Letting out an excited cry, Daka bounded happily out of the higher grass and started running rapidly from one part of the field to another, his head swiveling back and forth endlessly as he looked around.

"I've never been in this place before!" he called back to them, clearly thrilled. "This is great!"

"Yeah, it is!" Kimada agreed cheerfully.

Daka returned to the other two lions and kneaded the ground with his claws out, whisking his tail behind him with ceaseless energy. "So, what do you want to play?" he asked, bouncing from paw to paw as he said the last word, as though simply saying 'play' made him excited and happy.

"Um..." Mikazo hesitated. He hadn't really thought about what games Daka might want to play. He looked around, trying to get ideas. _The field is nice and flat, _he thought, _and that tree could be a marker..._

Mikazo nodded to himself and then turned back to Daka. "Do you want to have a race?" he asked the cub.

"Yeah!" Daka exclaimed.

Kimada nodded. "Sounds great," he said with a grin. "You two can take the first race, I'll watch."

Mikazo blinked and sent him a suspicious glance; it wasn't like Kimada to stand out on anything fun. He was up to something, he just knew it.

Mentally shrugging, Mikazo agreed, "That will work." He turned to Daka. "So, from here to that tree?" he asked. The tree he indicated was far enough away that Daka might not think that he was making things easier on the cub because of his shorter legs. Mikazo wouldn't have liked things to be made easier for him just because he was smaller. But the tree was still close enough that Daka wouldn't be pushed too hard if he ran all that way.

"Yeah! Let's go, I'm ready!" Daka said, shooting over to stand even with Mikazo's front paws. Smiling at Daka, Mikazo crouched down low and tensed his body as he, too, got ready to run the race.

Kimada walked over to just in between the starting line and the tree that was the finish line. He sat down and raised a yellow-tipped paw above his head.

"Okay!" he called over to them. "Ready, set... GO!" As he said the last word, he brought his raised paw down hard on the ground, making a dull thumping noise. Daka darted forward with Mikazo at his side.

Mikazo ran slowly, keeping pace with Daka and trying not to make it look like he was going slower on purpose. Daka wouldn't appreciate that. But the cub was so happy and excited that Mikazo wanted the little guy to win. Besides, Daka was small enough at the moment that other lions were _supposed _to let him win.

The little cub was bounding through the grass, his rich brown legs a blur as he jumped over and around the occasional rock or tall patch of grass.

Mikazo and Daka had just gotten to the middle of the racecourse when there was a reddish-gold blur and Mikazo's legs were swept suddenly out from under him. He ended up on his side looking up at Kimada, who, after giving him a smug look, turned to Daka. The cub had slowed down to a trot and was looking over his shoulder at them.

"Daka, I'll hold him down, get to the finish!" Kimada called the cub.

Daka grinned, yelled, "Okay!" and sprinted quickly for the tree.

Still looking smug, Kimada looked down at Mikazo, who said in a low voice Daka wouldn't overhear, "Just so you know, I was planning to let him win, and my plan didn't involve me being pinned to the ground."

Kimada grinned and sniggered. "Yeah, I know. But this just seemed like more fun."

Mikazo glanced at Daka; he was almost at the tree now, and would soon reach it.

"Well, I might as well catch up to him, right?" Mikazo said, shooting a smirk up at Kimada. He twisted to the side, rolled so that he was halfway on his back, and in the same moment shoved both hind paws into Kimada's stomach, knocking him off to the side. Then he quickly flipped so that Kimada lost his grip on Mikazo's shoulders, and, jumping to his paws, sprinted after Daka.

"Hey, wait up!" he heard Kimada call from behind him, and then heard his friend's quick paw-steps as he raced after Mikazo.

Daka passed the tree that was the finish line a few feet ahead of Mikazo, and, though he was panting slightly, announced triumphantly, "I win!"

Mikazo skidded to a stop next to the cub. "You sure did," he agreed with a smile.

Daka looked at him then at Kimada, who ran up a second later. "How did you get out of Kimada's pin?" the cub asked with his head tilted to the side, his eyes wide and curious.

"A sneaky move," Kimada said, trying to sound annoyed and not really succeeding.

Mikazo shook his head, his smile widening, and told the cub, "It was a fighting move that your Aunt Vitani showed me a few days ago. If you're pinned by an opponent who's heavier than you, you try to throw them off balance by rolling one way, then the other while using your back paws to kick them off."

Daka's eyes gleamed. "Cool! Can I try?"

"Uh..." Mikazo said, startled. "We're a little too big for you to try that move on just yet." The cub's head came up to his stomach.

Daka's ears drooped sadly.

"Hey, Daka," Kimada said quickly, "would you like to see a hunting stalk?"

Daka perked up, his disappointment vanishing immediately. "Yeah!"

"Way to go," Mikazo said to Kimada quietly, glad that Daka wasn't thinking anymore about fighting moves he couldn't do yet.

"Okay," Kimada said. "Let's pretend there's an impala hidden in the grass over there." He pointed with a paw to a patch of grass to the right of where they were standing.

Daka looked at the grass for a moment, then up at Kimada. "That grass isn't high enough to hide an impala," he pointed out, seeming a bit confused, as though he thought Kimada should know that fact.

"Right," Kimada agreed, grinning. "But it's a really short impala."

"Alright," Daka said brightly.

"Okay, here I go," Kimada said, and crouched down until the short grass was halfway up his sides, his attitude shifting from one of casualness to one of almost overly focused intent. Mikazo suspected that Kimada was putting on his best show for Daka's sake, and it certainly seemed to be working. Daka was watching him closely, utterly entranced by the chance to watch this stalking demonstration.

Kimada put one front paw forward and down before moving a back paw. Mikazo knew that, if the prey was unaware enough to allow the hunter time, it was best to only move one paw at a time because that way you had more control over how heavily- and loudly- that paw landed on the ground.

Mikazo watched as Kimada pulled himself toward the patch of grass that the imaginary, tiny impala hid behind. As Kimada stalked he barely caused any grass to rustle- only a few stalks were just barely stirred, and Mikazo knew that if he were prey, what sound there was could easily be mistaken for the sound of the wind rustling the grass. That was why hunters usually waited for the wind to gust before moving much more than a paw.

Kimada stopped a few feet from the imaginary impala, held still for a moment, then pushed his hind paws hard against the ground. He jumped through the air and landed with his front paws in the center of the patch of grass, his claws out with the pointed tips sinking into the dirt. After a moment, he straightened up. "There ya go, Daka!" he said with a smile. "And just like that, dinner's on!"

Daka bounced over to Kimada, his tail flicking excitedly. "That was awesome!" Daka said as he stopped next to Kimada. "I can't wait to hunt."

The cub dropped into a crouch himself, drew himself forward in a good imitation of Kimada's stalk, then jumped, clawed at the air, and landed with a small growl.

Mikazo walked up to the cub. "Nice one! When you get bigger, the impala won't stand a chance!" he yelled enthusiastically, nudging Daka with a paw.

Daka let out a proud purr, then leapt at Mikazo, landing on his side and clawing his way up to the larger lion's back. Then he held on with teeth and claws buried in Mikazo's still short mane, growling playfully.

"Whoa!" Mikazo exclaimed. Playing along, he reared onto his hind legs slightly, pretending to try to throw the small cub off as though he was an alarmed and terrified prey animal and Daka was hunting him.

Landing lightly back on all fours and still giving an occasional light buck, though not any that could even come close to really tossing Daka off, Mikazo twisted his head around and called over to his friend, "Hey, a little help, Kimada?"

Kimada sat down nonchalantly. "Nah, Daka's doing fine. He doesn't need any help."

Mikazo snorted, then looked back at Daka. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Daka nodded, grinning. "Get him!" He launched himself off of Mikazo's head and onto Kimada, with Mikazo right behind, and Kimada went down laughing.

The three of them continued to play around for a while. Mikazo thought that Kiara and Kovu were right; Daka never seemed to get tired. But Mikazo was having a lot of fun himself, so he wasn't complaining.

At one point, the three of them pretended that Mikazo was an invader trying to steal, as Kimada suggested, the tiny, imaginary impala. Well, of course, Daka and Kimada couldn't have that! They waited for Mikazo to stalk toward the patch of grass where Kimada had first "seen" the impala.

Daka pretended to be the leader of the group that consisted of himself and Kimada. Once Mikazo was close enough, the other two leapt at Mikazo with Daka exuberantly yelling, "Charge!" Moments later, Mikazo was pinned under the other two lions. He wrestled with them for a while before playing dead, laying on his side, and letting Daka sit on his head. Kimada then grandly declared Daka and himself the winners.

After that, Mikazo and Daka teamed up against Kimada, who pretended to be an angry rhinoceros. He charged around in random directions, occasionally running at the other two, as Daka and Mikazo tried to catch him and jump on his back. Daka finally caught up to him and held onto his back as Kimada raced around, rearing and stamping in a pretend attempt to throw the cub off. At some point during that, Mikazo caught up to them and knocked Kimada's back paws out from under him. That time Kimada was the one pinned down.

Mikazo decided that Daka was a very good teammate. It was hard not to let the adorable little guy win all the games in the end.

By the time they stopped playing, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky and Daka was getting hungry. The trio headed back to Pride Rock. Mikazo thought that Kiara would probably want her cub back at some point or other.

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The three lions arrived at Pride Rock with the tired Daka laying sprawled on Mikazo's head, resting.

They found Kovu and Kiara waiting outside the entrance to Pride Rock's cave, both looking greatly refreshed by their naps. Seeing them, Daka slipped down Mikazo's neck and off his back, then raced over to his parents. He was greeted by both with enthusiastic nuzzling.

Kiara crouched down next to her son. "Did you have fun, Daka?" she asked him.

"Yeah, it was great!" Daka exclaimed, bouncing around his mother's paws.

Kovu looked up from Daka to Mikazo and Kimada. "Thanks for watching him, guys."

Kimada shrugged. "Any time, it was fun."

Mikazo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was. Daka's great."

Both of the adult lions beamed at this, and Daka scuffed his paws slightly in an embarrassed way, but he looked happy with the compliment.

A few seconds later, though, Daka yawned, his tiny teeth bright white against the pink inside of his mouth. It seemed even Daka's seemingly bottomless supply of energy had been exhausted by their energetic games.

Kiara nudged her cub with her muzzle. "You need to eat and then get some sleep," she told him gently.

Daka looked for a moment as though he might protest, then he gave in with a small sigh. "Okay, Mom. Bye, Kimada. Bye, Mikazo," he said.

"See you later, Daka," Kimada said brightly.

"Sleep well," Mikazo added.

Kiara herded her cub into the cave with Kovu right behind her.

Mikazo stretched out one paw at a time, then settled down not far from the cave and started washing his cream-colored muzzle, which, like the rest of his coat, was covered in dust from playing with Kimada and Daka. He didn't mind having to clean his fur now and then in exchange for such fun, but he did wonder how it was possible for quite so _much _dust to fit in his coat. He felt as though he was practically covered in more dust than he was fur.

After a while, Kimada, who sat nearby and was cleaning his shoulder, trying to remove the dust that streaked his own fur, suddenly said, "Hey, what's up with Zazu?"

Mikazo looked up to see the small red-billed hornbill fly overhead, the white undersides of his wings flashing as he flapped them at high speed, zipping through the sky to skim low over the promontory. It seemed to Mikazo that Zazu's haste was one of anxiousness, or even something closer to panic. Confused and somewhat concerned, he stopped washing to watch as Zazu made a beeline for Simba.

Simba, who had been laying near the edge of Pride Rock, sat up as Zazu landed in front of him. The little bird bowed quickly, breathing heavily from his hurried flight.

"What is it, Zazu?" Simba asked.

"Sire, the zebra herd near the lake at the eastern border has been attacked by the pack of jackals again, just a few minutes ago," Zazu panted, clearly distressed.

Simba stiffened and rose to his paws. "Were they the same jackals that killed the topi calf two days ago?"

Zazu nodded. "The same, Sire, yes."

"Did they catch any zebra?" Simba asked.

"One of the old ones, yes."

Simba let out a low, angry growl, and glanced off of Pride Rock toward the eastern border. "After that topi calf they wouldn't be hungry again so soon, they shouldn't be hunting." He looked at Zazu again. "Did anyone see where they were headed?" he asked.

"No one saw where they went, Sire," Zazu said. Then he sighed. "The herds are getting uneasy. And that's not all- I've been told the jackals have been targeting some of the herds and attacking them with no intention of hunting. They simply run through the herds, biting and clawing and causing small wounds but not fatal ones. They seem to do it because they enjoy frightening them," the Majordomo said, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Simba growled again, then said, "We'll have to find a way to get them to stop, but I can't talk to them until I know where there are." The king shook his head, clearly frustrated. "We'll just have to keep an eye out for them and be ready." He sighed and then nodded to Zazu. "Thank you for reporting this so quickly, Zazu."

Zazu spread his wings out to either side in a sweeping bow. "I will tell you immediately if the jackals are sighted again, Sire," he promised, turning away slightly as he prepared to leave.

Mikazo watched with a frown as the small blue-feathered bird took flight. It sounded like a pack of jackals were over-hunting in the Pride Lands. He had no idea what could be done to stop them, but though this was something to worry about, he was sure Simba would figure something out.

The rest of the day was spent by practicing fighting moves, then resting. Mikazo saw Kudura go out with a few other lionesses, leading a hunting party. When they came back, the pride ate what had been caught and then spent a few more hours soaking up the remaining sunlight. The beautiful day ended with Simba feeling a vague twinge of apprehension. A band of badly behaved jackals could mean very nasty business for the Pride Lands.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo's first thought when he woke up was that today was the day that he, Kimada, and Simba were going to check on Mikazo's pride again.

The thought brought him to his paws almost before he opened his eyes. It had been a little over a day since he had last seen his pride mates, and, in Mikazo's opinion, that was far too long.

With quick excited steps, he walked out of Pride Rock's cave. Kimada was laying nearby, sprawled out in the sun with one fore-paw dangling over the edge of the promontory. He seemed to be looking down at the Pride Lands, watching the herds milling about on the plains, but he looked around as Mikazo padded over toward him. "Hey, there!" Kimada greeted with his usual cheer.

"Hi," Mikazo answered, smiling at his friend's energy. "Do you know where Simba is?"

"Yeah, he just went out for a walk with Nala, they should be back soon," Kimada said. "What's up?"

"I want to check on my pride today. So I want to ask Simba if he's ready to go, since he said he's coming with me this time," Mikazo told him.

"Oh, right. So we're going today?" Kimada asked, pushing up into a sitting position.

Mikazo nodded. "I hope so. I really want to see how my pride mates are."

"Okay," Kimada said. "Well, it sure sounds more exciting than staying here." He shrugged. "Nothing really interesting has been happening! Well, other than you showing up, but aside from that..."

"Thanks for agreeing to come," Mikazo said sincerely, though he wasn't sure that _agreeing_ was the right word, as he never actually _asked _Kimada to come. He was just really glad he was coming. He was coming to rely on Kimada more and more as the days passed, and he was comforted by the fact that his friend would be by his side when he went to check on his pride mates and their new king.

"Any time!" Kimada said with a grin.

Mikazo sat down next to Kimada and waited for Simba to come back from the walk.

He didn't have to wait too long. Simba and Nala came bounding up the path to Pride Rock a short while later, chatting together amicably. Simba saw Mikazo and Kimada, both of them waiting and ready to go, and, after saying a few words to Nala, he walked over to the two of them.

After the usual greetings, Simba said, "Do you still want to check on your pride today, Mikazo?" His tone made it clear he knew the answer, but was just making sure.

Mikazo nodded firmly. "Yes, I do."

"Alright," Simba said. "Last time we went, they were all asleep; there wasn't much we could learn, then. So I thought that this time we should leave early so that we arrive at your pride while it's still day and they're still awake."

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea!" Mikazo was glad. This way, he would get to find out more than he had last time, and he would get to see his pride mates earlier then he would have if they waited. On the downside of that, of course, he would also have to see the rogue again, which was something he was far from looking forward to.

Part of the reason for going to check on his pride, though, aside from finding how his pride mates were faring, was to try to find out more about the rogue, however unpleasant that task might be. By spying on him, maybe Mikazo could find some sort of weakness that he could exploit that would make it easier for him to defeat the rogue when the time came for him to battle the cruel lion for his kingdom.

Kimada flicked his tail energetically as he stood. "So when do we leave?" he asked.

Simba glanced up at the sun. "Actually, we should leave before it gets much later. So I'd say just about now."

Mikazo agreed with that. It might be morning right now, but it had taken almost half the day for them to get to his pride's territory last time. It was a good idea to start off early this time, so they could arrive at his pride's lands while there was still ample daylight.

The three departed soon after. This time, Mikazo didn't feel so bad about Simba leaving his pride for a while just to help him; the Pride Lands would be perfectly fine with Nala in charge. He'd seen over the last few days how capable the lioness really was. Still, Mikazo was glad that next time he went it would only be him and Kimada; he wouldn't have to drag Simba along again.

They left the Pride Lands before the sun had fully risen above the horizon, and started across the long stretch of land that lay between the two prides.

The three lions kept up a swift but easy pace, not wasting energy in flat out running, but neither was this a leisurely stroll.

The land between the two prides was blanketed in yellow-green grasses with a few trees speckling the terrain, all stained with pale golden light from the still rising sun. The ground rose and fell often in low hills and dips- low enough that climbing one or two of them would be little trouble, but high enough that a lion's legs could easily grow tired from the consistent effort of climbing so many of them. Because of this, Simba called for several breaks during the journey to allow them all some rest.

The sun had risen to the middle of the sky by the time they arrived at the border to Mikazo's pride, and they all slowed until they were trotting as they made their way down into the valley territory.

They traveled the same way as before, heading in a slightly circular path toward the territory's center. They were in the large open field with the lake to the left of their path. During the day the lake was a beautiful sight, as it had always been. Its surface was a sparkling blue that reflected the sun invitingly. There were herds of many different species gathered around the lake for a drink or, in the case of younger animals, just for a chance to splash and play, but none of Mikazo's pride were among them.

They had only been inside the territory for a few minutes when the lions felt the ground shake under their paws, a deep, rumbling vibration that shook to the bones and made Mikazo's fur stand on end. The reason for the shaking was quickly made clear. A large herd of wildebeest soon tore past them, their hooves causing tremors from the speed with which they ran and the massive number of animals in the herd, a seemingly endless stream of heavy, gray-furred bodies. Not one of the running beasts seemed to notice the three lions crouched low in the grass. The huge, horned animals were running as if something were hunting them, their panicked bleats filling the air and a cloud of dust rising behind them from their haste and numbers.

Mikazo scanned the area around and behind the running herd. He could see no signs of attacking predators, but he assumed that his pride mates were out hunting, and that it was them who had panicked the herd. There were, of course, some other predators living in these lands aside from Mikazo's pride mates, such as leopards and cheetahs, but they were animals who hunted alone and so were more likely to target smaller groups of prey or prey that lived singly. Lions cooperating together, however, preferred to hunt the larger prey groups. Because of that, Mikazo thought it was very likely that it was his pride mates hunting here and now. The thought excited him. It shouldn't be long now before he could see how the ladies of his pride fared.

After exchanging glances, Mikazo, Kimada and Simba leapt forward, all three of them being careful to stay hidden in the tall grass. They went in the direction from which the wildebeest had come.

They were soon able to see a wildebeest that had been cut off from its herd. It looked old and was slower than the other wildebeest, and its shaggy gray-black fur was streaked with silver. Sure enough, it was under attack by all four of Mikazo's pride mates! They had to be careful in taking down such a large prey, as its hooves and horns could be instantly fatal if they were to strike a lioness in the chest or head.

The four lionesses were fine hunters, a pleasure to watch. Nuru, her pale tan-white fur bright in the sunlight, was hanging on to the wildebeest's back with all four sets of claws, her pure white underbelly making the rest of her look dark in comparison. She was weighing it down, slowing its movement, and making it easier for the other three to strike at their prey.

Cheneta, whose impressive dark brown coat and tan underbelly looked even darker next to Nuru's moonlight pale coat, darted forward and knocked the wildebeest's front legs out from under it, then quickly skipped out of range as it stumbled. Tumaini did the same to their prey's back legs before it could regain its balance. Like Cheneta had, she sprang backward out of the way, her dodge quick and graceful. Tumaini's reddish-brown fur looked like fire in the sunlight, and her underbelly was as white as a cloud.

As the old wildebeest fell heavily on its side, Nuru jumped clear from her place on its back, landing neatly on the ground beside their prey. Uzuri then lunged forward; her dark-tan fur appeared red in the sun as she leapt through the air. This lioness' underbelly was only a few shades lighter than the rest of her, and the whole blended together well into a sleek, beautiful coat. Talented as well, she grabbed onto the wildebeest's neck and held on, jaws clamped tightly, until its struggling stopped.

Mikazo just barely held back a cheer for his pride mates. What an impressive scene! He couldn't stop himself from standing up a little straighter as pride washed through him. He may not be their prince anymore, but they were still his friends, and that was an impressive catch they had just made. He and his parents had been lucky to have such fine hunters in their pride; and of course, Mikazo's parents had been excellent hunters, as well, especially his mother. It was impossible not to be proud of his four pride mates' hunting skills.

Mikazo and his friends from the Pride Lands, hidden in the grass off to one side of the fallen wildebeest, were close enough to easily hear the four lionesses converse over their prey.

Cheneta spoke first. "Are you sure this is still a good idea, guys? He's nearly caught us two times already. You know he's getting suspicious." Cheneta looked worried, her red-brown eyes gleaming with anxiety. Mikazo frowned, concerned. He wasn't sure who she was referring to- though he had a good guess- or what danger they might be in. He pricked his ears as they continued, listening carefully.

Uzuri snorted quietly. "Jinamizi isn't going to catch us, Cheneta. He doesn't deserve this prey. I really don't care if he is king," she said the last part with a vicious growl, then sighed and added, "Besides, if we don't do this we don't eat most days, anyway, you know that as well as I do."

Pulling in a sharp breath through his teeth, Mikazo went still in shock. What had Uzuri meant by that? It had better not mean that the rogue was keeping them from eating their prey!

Cheneta nodded. "I agree with you, Uzuri. And I don't think we really have a choice. But if he _does_ catch us eating it..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

Mikazo stared in surprise. _Jinamizi._ Was that the name of the tawny rogue lion who had killed Mikazo's parents? It sounded like that was who they meant. It also sounded like they didn't intend to let him have any of the wildebeest, that they planned to eat their newly caught prey without giving any of it to the rogue. In most prides, when lionesses made a kill, they roared to call their king. Then he would eat his fill of the prey before the hunters could have their share.

When Mikazo's father, Hodari, had been king, he'd never forced his pride members to abide by this rule, or even asked them to. They did so only because they respected him and this was a way to show him they honored him. Uzuri had explained it to Mikazo, once. It seemed as though this was not the case with that rogue in charge. Mikazo, as worried as he was by what he was hearing, felt a small glint of satisfaction to know that his pride mates were standing up to the rogue lion, even if it was by necessity without his knowledge.

Nuru spoke up, "I think that Uzuri is right. Jinamizi doesn't deserve anything from us, not after killing your little Jamili." She sent Uzuri an apologetic look as she named the dark-tan lioness' cub. Then she continued, "And that was after he killed Hodari and Kawanja!" She shook her head sadly. "They were both so nice to me after I lost my parents in that rock slide, so comforting and kind. I lost count of how many times Kawanja came to talk to me when I woke in the middle of the night, calling for my parents. They treated me like I was their own daughter, when I needed it the most..." Nuru's expression hardened from grief to anger. "And then that rogue..." she broke off with a snarl of outrage, her green eyes narrowed as the fur along her spine bristled.

"Yes," Tumaini said, her tone sharp with anger directed at the rogue. "And that's not even counting what happened to Mikazo!" Mikazo froze at the mention of his name. "He's out there somewhere, and he's alone because that... _Jinamizi..._" Tumaini spat out the name in disgust like it was rotted meat, her red-orange eyes blazing furiously, "killed his parents and drove him out!"

Mikazo stared at his pride mates, a hard lump in his throat. He wanted to tell them all that he was fine, that he wasn't alone any longer. He ached to tell them about the Pride Lands, and Kimada, who was a great friend.

Simba, Nala, Kovu and Kiara, even little Daka, he had them too. He had to dig his claws in the ground beneath his paws to keep from flinging himself at his pride mates and showing them all that he was fine. He let out a low but frustrated growl. His pride mates, the lionesses who he had known since he'd been born, who were like his family, needed him and he couldn't do anything to help.

He felt Kimada briefly brush his pelt against Mikazo's, trying to comfort his friend.

Mikazo shot a grateful look at the sun-colored lion, then turned back again when Cheneta spoke.

"You're right," she said softly to the other three. "So we should eat before it gets cold, then." She flicked her dark-tufted tail toward the wildebeest.

Without another word, the four of them crouched down around their prey and began to eat.

The trio stayed silent as the lionesses ate. If they spoke while standing this close to Mikazo's pride mates, they would undoubtedly be heard. And as much as he wanted to show them he was okay, Mikazo didn't see how being found right now would help his friends. If they had to keep his survival a secret from the rogue- and surely that would be a wise idea, to be sure Jinamizi did not know Mikazo was still alive- that keeping that secret could just put his pride mates in an even more difficult situation than they already seemed to be.

When the four lionesses had finished with their meal and were done washing their muzzles, the sun was just beginning to drift down from the center of the sky.

"Well, I suppose we should catch something for Jinamizi now," Uzuri said reluctantly. It was obvious that no one really wanted to, but the others nodded their agreement.

The four lionesses stood, shook out their fur, and walked away from the little there was left of the wildebeest. The bits that were left wouldn't go to waste. Vultures were already dropping from the sky in search of scraps. Their heavy black wings were beating the air, taking them lower and lower as their hungry calls rent the air.

The huntresses traveled at a fast walk toward another part of the territory, and the other three followed at a distance, threading unnoticed through the grass. Fortunately, the wind was blowing briskly toward the trio of sneaking lions. Their scents couldn't be carried to Mikazo's pride mates.

Mikazo knew that they were going to another area to hunt for more prey because any prey in this part of the territory would have been scared off by the scent of a kill and of hunting lions.

They continued walking until the scent of the downed wildebeest had completely faded behind them.

The area they were now in was a large field with few trees and a lot of underbrush. Mikazo had explored this part of the territory quite thoroughly when he was a cub, and had startled quite a few birds from their nests in the underbrush. He hadn't meant to scare them, he had just been trying to see if there was anything worth checking out in the branches where their nests were. Mikazo had just been a little over a month old and had loved to explore, something that he had to admit hadn't faded at all as he'd grown.

There was a herd of zebra grazing in the field, and they hadn't seen the lionesses who crouched in the grass across the field from the herd.

While Uzuri led Tumaini, Nuru and Cheneta silently toward the herd, Mikazo stayed as still and quiet as he could, not wanting to ruin the hunt for his lioness friends by making noise.

Mikazo's pride mates stalked slowly, silently toward the herd of zebra until they were only a few feet from them, and completely blocked from sight by the golden-brown stalks of grass they were crouched among. Mikazo wouldn't have known where they'd hidden if he hadn't watched them as they crept toward the herd.

Suddenly, Uzuri darted out of the grass and in between a young zebra and his herd, which scattered, galloping out of the way of the lionesses and across the field. The targeted zebra, still rather young but not quite a colt, let out a whooping cry of fear and spun away from Uzuri, trying to get back to its herd. With a sharp growl, Nuru quickly jumped in from the other side and cut off the zebra's escape path, lashing out with her claws to discourage any attempt to race passed her.

The zebra reared, its striped legs churning through the air at the attacking lions. Nuru dove out of the way of the flailing hooves, narrowly avoiding a hard blow to the head, while Cheneta leapt in from the side and closed her jaws on one of the zebra's back legs. The instant she had a grip on their prey's leg, she yanked her head backward, pulling the hind leg out from under the rearing zebra. There was no hope for it to balance on one leg, and as the zebra fell on its side, Tumaini jumped forward and pinned the prey by its shoulders, holding it down. She quickly finished it in the same way Uzuri had killed the wildebeest, and the second hunt of the day was as successful as the first.

The four lionesses backed a few steps from their prey, breathing heavily but none of them harmed in the least. Mikazo could barely keep himself from purring with pride. His pride mates were great huntresses!

"Good work," Uzuri congratulated the other lions, looking at them with her pale-green eyes sparkling. Then she grimaced a moment later, her expression falling. "We have to call Jinamizi now," she said, looking anything but thrilled at the thought.

The others all murmured their agreement unenthusiastically. Raising their heads high, the four of them all took a deep breath, then roared to call their king.

The lionesses continued to roar for a minute, the throaty sound echoing throughout the land. In a nearby field, birds took startled flight at the noise, rising into the air with loud screeching cries of warning, only to settle back in the brush they'd been perched when they realized there was no danger to their flock. The lionesses roared for a moment longer, then stopped and waited. Mikazo, Kimada and Simba crouched lower into the grass, even less keen to be found by Jinamizi than by Mikazo's pride mates. If Jinamizi found them, he would almost certainly attack them.

After a short while, during which the lionesses roared every now and then so that the rogue could locate them by sound, Mikazo and his friends could smell the scent of the lion as he come toward his meal. Then the grass to the left of Mikazo's pride mates rustled, and Jinamizi emerged, stepping toward the lionesses and their catch.

Mikazo's eyes followed Jinamizi as he stalked toward the prey, his attention riveted to the lion. Memories flashed through Mikazo's mind of the rogue's attack, of his parents' deaths, causing his heart to race with remembered horror, rage, and fear. He swallowed hard and crouched lower into the grass, then let out a slow breath in an attempt to calm himself even as he felt tremors run a near constant path down his spine. He kept his eyes on Jinamizi.

Each movement Jinamizi made seemed to exude arrogance, an attitude that spoke volumes of his ego. His dark tawny coat glowed in the sunlight, moving smoothly over his powerful shoulders. His tan underbelly was a startling contrast to the wild pitch-black mane that fell thickly around his face and down his chest. He saw the small zebra that Mikazo's pride mates had caught and stared at it for a moment, pausing in place, then he turned his gaze on the lionesses, his cruel red-brown eyes flashing with derision.

"This is all you managed to catch?" Jinamizi asked in a voice filled with scorn. "You have been hunting all day long!"

Mikazo held back a snarl, instantly infuriated by Jinamizi's tone and words. How dare this rogue speak to his pride mates that way?

Uzuri stepped forward a pace, her calm expression a complete contrast to Mikazo's own mood. "We searched all day, Jinamizi, and this is the only thing that we had an opportunity to catch." Her voice was smooth, composed, with no hint of the guilt of a liar. If Mikazo hadn't known better, he would have thought she was telling the truth.

"Really?" the tawny lion sneered, his muzzle twisting. "You truly had no other opportunity? Are you sure of that?" Jinamizi looked suspicious, as Cheneta had said he'd been the other times they'd done this.

"Yes, very sure," Uzuri said coolly, meeting Jinamizi's sharp gaze evenly.

Jinamizi stared at her for a few seconds, then seemed to accept her word. He turned back toward the fallen zebra and said disdainfully, "A mediocre catch at best. If you lionesses cannot hunt effectively, then tell me, what are you good for?" Mikazo felt his claws sink into the ground beneath him, a growl rumbling quietly in his chest, outraged at what he was hearing. And that was before Jinamizi continued in a tone of feigned regret, which had the effect, as he most certainly intended, of sounding cruelly mocking rather than sympathetic; "I'm afraid you will just have to go without food again today. And you will every day until you bring back something better." Without waiting for a reaction, the tawny king stepped over to the zebra and sank his teeth into it.

Mikazo felt both Simba and Kimada tense on either side of him and saw that both lions were glaring at Jinamizi. Mikazo looked at his pride mates. All four of them glared at the rogue for a moment, obviously angry that he would deny them the right to eat the prey they catch. But then the lionesses relaxed and exchanged smug glances. Mikazo knew why; Jinamizi didn't know that they had already eaten; they had outsmarted the tawny king once again, and were clearly very satisfied with that fact.

Mikazo wasn't as comforted by that, however, and he would have attacked the rogue in an instant if it weren't for the fact that he didn't think he would be able to beat Jinamizi. And Simba, Kimada, and his pride mates wouldn't be able to help him defeat the tawny lion because of the law that said that a lion who challenges the king of a pride for leadership must fight that king alone. How often had the lionesses had to go without before they began tricking their new king?

Mikazo sighed. He couldn't see any use in attacking the rogue right now. The only outcome he could see at the moment would be his own death. And by law, none of his friends would be allowed to stop the rogue from striking with the killing blow.

After what that lion had said to his pride mates, it was more difficult than Mikazo would have imagined to keep from attacking Jinamizi in defense of his pride mates, but he held himself back.

When the rogue had finished eating, he stepped back from the zebra and turned in the direction of the cave that was the pride's home. Then he spoke to the lionesses as he walked, without glancing back.

"As that was hardly what I would call a good enough meal, all of you will go out hunting again tomorrow, and if you want to eat, be sure to bring back something more..." He paused, apparently trying to think of a suitable term, then continued, "Something fit for a king." At this, he looked back over his shoulder with a smug grin that made Mikazo want to claw it off his face. Then the tawny rogue stepped into the golden-brown grass and vanished.

When she was sure he was out of ear-shot, Tumaini said, "Ha, some king. I guess it's lucky we ate that wildebeest after all, huh? At least we won't go hungry tonight. Even when we were bringing the larger prey home he found a reason to deprive us of our share, often as not." Her tone was bitter, and it bothered Mikazo deeply to hear that in his normally cheerful friend.

Nuru nodded morosely. "Yes, he truly is a very large step down from Hodari. I guess we should head back, too," she sighed.

"Yes, lets," Cheneta agreed.

Uzuri took the lead back toward their cave, her face hard as she glared at the spot in the grass where Jinamizi had disappeared. With a pang of sadness, Mikazo guessed that the dark-tan lioness was thinking of her cub that the rogue had killed, her young son Jamili.

Mikazo, Kimada and Simba stayed where they were as Mikazo's pride mates headed back in the direction of their home, where Jinamizi, their so-called king, was.

Once the lionesses had disappeared from sight and the sound of their travel had faded, Simba nudged Mikazo's shoulder, and when the younger lion looked at him, he said gently, "I think it's time for us to head back, as well." The king's red-orange eyes were soft with sympathy, but Mikazo couldn't get much comfort from that at the moment.

Mikazo nodded silently, and then stood, forcing his paws to move from where they seemed to have frozen to the ground. He looked up at the sky. It was twilight; the sky was streaked with pinks, yellows and darkening blues, a beautiful sight that did nothing to cheer him up.

The three of them started back toward the Pride Lands with Simba in the lead.

Kimada fell into step next to Mikazo, and said quietly, "Are you okay?"

With a momentary surge of disbelief and annoyance, Mikazo stared at him and thought with sarcasm, _Sure, I'm fine.__My pride mates are stuck with a king like that, but I've never felt better! _He stopped himself from saying this because Kimada was his friend and was trying to help him. So he said instead, "No. But I will be, when my pride mates are."

Kimada nodded in understanding. He said no more, but kept close to his friend as they headed for the Pride Lands.

By the time they arrived back at Pride Rock it was night, the darkness relieved only by the stars that were scattered across the black sky and the bright slash of yellow-white moon.

Mikazo stopped in the entrance of the cave and looked back toward where they had just come from. His pride mates were over there, perhaps already asleep in the cave that had once been Mikazo's home.

The young prince turned and went into Pride Rock, more determined to help his pride than ever.


	7. The Calm

**Hi! Sorry about the wait, I'll try to get the next chapter up faster. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. There were some reviews that the site wouldn't let me answer, so I wanted to thank those I couldn't respond to for reviewing. And thank you again to those that I was able respond to. Reviews are great. While I was having trouble with one part of this chapter, I found a new review and it helped me to get motivation to write more, so thanks for that!**

Mikazo and Kimada had been playing with Daka, again. In fact, since that first time when they took him out to play while babysitting the young cub so that his parents could get more sleep, they'd started to take him out every morning for some racing, play-fighting, and fun. Daka was learning a lot in the play-fights he had with the larger lions. Of course, at almost two months old, he was way too small to beat them without teaming up with one or the other, but he was starting to get pretty good with some of the fighting moves that Mikazo and Kimada showed the cub. Mikazo was impressed with Daka's efforts; the little guy never wanted to stop practicing a fighting move until he could do it as expertly as his small size allowed.

The times with Daka helped the older lions as well. It was a good morning exercise program and it got their muscles and minds warmed up and ready for anything. Besides, the cub was so cute that even though his mother had repeatedly told them they really didn't have to do this for the little guy every morning, they simply couldn't resist.

They'd fallen into a nice routine. Each afternoon Mikazo practiced his fighting skills with Kimada. Occasionally Simba, Nala, Kovu, Kiara or Vitani joined in. They usually came to watch even if they didn't join. Daka always sat and watched. He seemed to enjoy it, and Mikazo sometimes saw the little cub copying their moves while they trained.

Mikazo hadn't been back to visit his pride lands since the last visit during which he watched his pride mates eat a large wildebeest without the knowledge of their new king, who'd apparently been denying them meals. Mikazo had been a little upset at first when Simba had asked him to wait until he had trained some more before returning to check on his pride. Mikazo had understood that Simba was just worried about him getting caught by Jinamizi, but he wanted to be sure his pride mates were okay. He knew that they couldn't be having an easy time, not with a lion like Jinamizi for a king. Mikazo had sort of resented the fact that Simba wanted him to train more before he could go back to check on them.

Though he wasn't sure how he would help his pride mates at this moment by spying on Jinamizi; that would only help in the long run. Despite that reasoning, it was very hard to not be doing _something_ that would help his pride mates, right away.

Now, a week later, after practice fighting and racing with Daka and Kimada every morning, then training with Kimada and the others in the afternoon, Mikazo was getting stronger and his fighting techniques were improving. With all the exercise combined with eating well every day, he was a lot stronger and less thin than he had been when he arrived at Simba's pride a little over two weeks ago.

His coat was smoother, starting to look like it had when he had lived with his pride, and was taking on the glossy sheen that it had once had. He was still quite thin, but he was steadily gaining weight and his ribs no longer showed; his face was starting to fill out as well. He would soon look like he had before he had been driven from his pride to live on his own for two months, not being able to hunt anything much bigger than hares.

Simba's pride, with Mikazo as an honored guest, feasted on an abundant meal at midday. The hunters in this pride were capable and quick. Mikazo realized anew how lucky he was to have found them and been accepted into their fold.

After the excellent meal, he and Kimada headed to the training area as usual. Earlier, Simba had hinted that he had something new planned for today's training session, but when questioned he wouldn't elaborate. This made Mikazo feel a bit nervous. He wasn't sure he was ready for surprises, but he was intrigued.

When the two of them arrived at the training field, Simba, Nala, Kovu, Kiara and Vitani were there as usual, with Daka sitting in between his parents.

The lions greeted each other. Then Daka bounced forward. "Hey guys!" he squeaked.

"Hi, Daka!" Kimada said, while Mikazo swatted a paw playfully at the mahogany cub, who tumbled over obligingly, giggling as he rolled.

"Are you ready to start?" Simba asked.

"Yep," Kimada said, and Mikazo nodded, still wondering what Simba's new idea was.

"Simba? You said you had something new planned?" Mikazo asked curiously.

The red-maned lion smiled slyly. "Yeah, but you'll have to wait to see what it is. It's part of the training, seeing how you react when surprised."

"Alright," Mikazo replied somewhat nervously.

"Okay, Mikazo, you'll be fighting against Kimada as usual," Simba told him.

Mikazo got ready, taking a deep breath. It was great of Simba to oversee Mikazo's training like this, but did he have to hint at dire things to come?

The two younger lions nodded at Simba, then walked onto the training field.

Mikazo crouched low and watched carefully as Kimada circled around him. When the red-gold lion lunged, Mikazo leapt quickly to the side to avoid him, then swiped at paw at Kimada as he landed, catching the side of his friend's muzzle.

Kimada jerked his head back and reared onto his hind paws while swatting his front paws at Mikazo, one after the other. Mikazo dodged the blows and tossed himself under Kimada's back paws, knocking them out from under him.

As Kimada fell, he rolled out of the way before Mikazo could jump on him. Rolling straight on to all four of his paws, he lunged forward and snapped his sharp teeth near Mikazo's ear; the light brown lion had to draw back quickly to avoid the bite.

As Mikazo pulled back, Kimada took the opportunity to aim a paw at his opponent's front leg, swiping it out from under him. Mikazo fell and landed on his side, shoulder first, just barely avoiding knocking his jaw against the ground. Kimada leapt on top of Mikazo and he rolled with the leap, trying to keep from getting pinned by the other lion.

Mikazo yanked his head to the side in time to avoid a blow from Kimada's paw, then kicked all four of his own paws up into Kimada while the other lion's paw was still moving and he was off balance. Kimada was shoved off and landed on the ground with a thump.

While Kimada was winded from the blow to his chest and stomach, Mikazo lunged on top of him, planting one paw on Kimada's shoulders and the other on his fiery-brown mane, and held him down.

"Mikazo wins!" he heard Simba call, and he backed away to let Kimada get to his paws. Mikazo stood panting slightly, feeling proud; Kimada was a tough opponent, and it was always a challenge to beat him. Then before Mikazo could begin to get his breath back, he heard Simba say, "Alright, Kiara, are you ready?"

"You bet!" the energetic lioness exclaimed from where she stood on the edge of the training field.

Mikazo jerked his head up and around in time to see the golden-furred lioness leaping toward him. Startled, he reacted instinctively and pivoted toward her, rearing to meet the attack. He realized that this must be the surprise training idea that Simba had mentioned; Mikazo would have to fight two lions in a row without taking a break.

He snapped a paw out toward Kiara's head as she dove at him, thinking distractedly that it would be nice if he could take a break. He was still breathing hard from his match with Kimada, and fighting again right after that wasn't going to be easy. The lioness ducked under his swinging paw and swiped in return at his chest. Mikazo, still on his hind paws, softened the blow by falling to the side and rolling as it hit, pulling himself into a loose ball as he tumbled out of range.

Then, as he landed on back his paws, he leapt at Kiara, who quickly jumped up and to the side. Mikazo's jump missed completely and he landed roughly, all four of his legs nearly buckling underneath him as they took his weight and the energy of his failed pounce. Before he could regain his balance, Kiara struck his shoulder with a fore-paw, knocking him sideways, and then followed up with a leaping tackle, plowing into his side. Mikazo fell to the ground, and, though dazed, again rolled out of the way before she could pin him.

Coming out of the roll, he shoved himself upward and stumbled to his paws. His paws and legs felt heavier and harder to move than usual, his limps were trembling with tiredness, and he was gasping for air. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to continue standing, let alone fighting. Kiara, though, appeared to have plenty of energy left, if how fast she was attacking was any indication.

As the bright-furred lioness leapt at him again, Mikazo decided the best option he had was to try Nala's signature move; the overhead rolling flip that ended in a pin, if executed correctly. He had successfully used it on Kimada just a few days ago, so he knew he could do it. He just wasn't sure he had the energy left to pull it off now, but he was going to try. If he succeeded with it, the mock-battle would end then and there, and he knew that he didn't have enough stamina left to win if the battle was drawn out much longer.

He reared up as Kiara's paws slammed into his cream-colored chest, nearly driving the breath from him, then fell onto his back and shoved his hind paws into her stomach, his fore-paws gripping her shoulders. As the world spun around him and the both of them were launched temporarily into the air, he kept his grip on Kiara and went with her momentum, successfully flipping her over his head.

For a moment he thought he had done it and was going to win, but his shaking legs were getting sore and halfway through the flip he lost control. Kiara whipped to the side just as they landed, shoving him off of her and avoiding the pin. Because she'd been underneath as the flip was finished, she landed on her back with a thump, but still managed to turn it into a roll and quickly stand. Mikazo, though he fell paws first, stumbled to the side, landing badly.

He had no time to recover before Kiara struck again. Catching his head with a quick swipe and sending him reeling, she used her back paw to knock his own out from under him.

Mikazo fell on his side and landed with Kiara's paws firmly holding him down. Kiara had pinned him.

"Kiara wins!" Simba called.

The golden lioness released her hold on Mikazo, and stepped back.

Mikazo lay on the ground for a moment, unable to do anything but lay there and rest. When he could, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He could see the others sitting nearby. Kiara, who sat next to him, was breathing a little hard, but looked energetic, her eyes gleaming with excitement from the battle. Kimada was a little further away, grinning at him.

Simba padded over to him, smiling. "That was very good, Mikazo," he said.

"Thanks," Mikazo said, still panting a little. "But I lost," he pointed out.

"Yes," Simba said. "But you had just fought and won against Kimada. So you did well to hold your own fighting Kiara."

"Yep," Kiara agreed. "You might have won if you hadn't been so tired."

"Thanks, but you're a pretty strong opponent." Mikazo smiled. He wished that he had been able to win, but he was very glad to have been able to hold out so long. He felt a small burst of pride.

"You have improved a lot since you came," Simba told him. "Of course, you have a long way to go, but you've done very well."

Mikazo knew that he needed to train more, but he was glowing with pride from Simba's praise.

"Rest for a while, then keep training with Kimada, as usual. Then tomorrow," Simba continued, "we can try this again, fighting one after the other."

"Okay," Mikazo said. He thought that he would like to try it again, and he was determined that next time he would win. "Will I still fight Kimada first?" he asked the king.

Simba nodded.

"Aright," Mikazo said. It was always fun to battle with Kimada. "If I win, who would I be fighting after him?" His breathing had evened out, his energy was coming back and he was feeling about ready to train against just about anyone.

"And what about if I win? Who will _I _be fighting?" Kimada broke in, wandering over to Mikazo's side, his curious gaze on Simba.

Simba grinned. "Well, I think that we'll see how you would do against Nala," he said to Mikazo casually. "And you too, Kimada, if you can beat your friend then you'll fight Nala right after."

Stunned into silence, Mikazo and Kimada wordlessly stared at him. Mikazo could see that Kimada was thinking the same thing as he was. _Nala? _Just after fighting each other? Nala was considered one of the best fighters in the pride. Mikazo was suddenly feeling a lot less confident.

Simba continued to grin at them with something like satisfied amusement; it was obvious that he knew just what the young lions were thinking. Then the Lion King turned around and trotted back to the others.

Mikazo watched him go, sighing deeply. After a moment, he stood and faced off with Kimada. Putting aside his practically terminal nervousness over the prospect of a battle with Nala, Mikazo was re-energized and ready to train with his friend again.

The two lions fought for a while, though neither one was able to gain the advantage for long. They both tired out fairly quickly, perhaps because neither had really gotten that long of a rest before they decided to start up a battle again. Mikazo was panting again but didn't want to give up. He was enjoying the mock battle. And Kimada was still fighting hard, as always, though he was also breathing heavily.

They had broken apart and were slowly circling each other, getting their breath back and watching for a good opportunity to strike, when a golden blur suddenly slammed into Kimada from behind. Before Mikazo could register who it was, his own paws were swept out from under him and he fell on his stomach next to Kimada.

Mikazo tried to stand up, but a paw between his shoulder blades held him down. Beside him, Kimada was likewise pinned. Twisting his neck, Mikazo looked above him to see Kiara, who was standing over them with her paws planted firmly on their backs.

"Hey!" Kimada protested. "Why'd you do that?"

"Well," Kiara grinned, "you two seemed to be having fun, so I thought I'd join in."

_Of course,_ Mikazo thought. Well, he could understand that. He would have been tempted to do the same, and he knew Kimada would never have passed up the chance. The problem was that this was twice in just a short while that he had been pinned by Kiara! With a resigned sigh, he rested his head on his fore-paws and accepted defeat.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

After the training session, Mikazo was resting on a warm rock just below Pride Rock. The hot sun hanging high in the sky was lulling him to sleep. The air, still and heavy with warmth, was only relieved occasionally by a slight breeze, on which was carried the pleasant scents of the Pride Lands' plants and earth. A nap felt like a very good idea at the moment.

He watched lazily through half-lidded eyes as a hunting party went out. It was led by Kudura, as always; and among those in the largish hunting party were Nala, Vitani, Kovu and Kimada. They were chatting cheerily as they headed out, obviously enjoying the beautiful day and the friendships the close knit members of this pride all shared. Mikazo sighed contentedly, in that moment at peace. He was lucky to have found this pride. Then, as the hunters trotted into the Savannah and out of sight, he drifted off to sleep.

_A seven month old Mikazo was trotting along in the grasslands of his territory, weaving through the tall bright green grass that surrounded him. The fur around his head and neck was still light brown and relatively short; his mane wouldn't start to come in for several months yet. Walking next to him was Tumaini, who was a year and a few months old. Her reddish coat and white underbelly were glowing brightly in the sun that hung over their heads in the blue sky. A few gray clouds were scattered across the sky's expanse._

_The two friends were wandering around their territory. They'd already explored every corner of it months ago, so they knew all the best places to play. There were wide flat clearings for races and areas with thick underbrush and trees for a good game of Track-and-Pounce, to name a few of their favorites._

_While they were still deciding what they wanted to do, they passed a lake that was near their pride's cave, in a low sloping area of their valley home. The large lake was crystal clear and bright blue in the sunlight. Water plants of different kinds and colors of many shades grew up out of the water and floated lightly on the surface. Sliver glints of movement under the surface gave away the location of the fish that lived there. As it was the rainy season, the streams that fed the lake were swollen with water, and of course, so was the lake itself. Right now, there was a pause in the rain that had been going on without much relent for weeks, though Mikazo knew it would soon start up again. The lake was clear and inviting, its surface crisscrossed with greenish shadows thrown by the plants growing in it._

_Mikazo had seen some animals, mostly birds, catch those fish. As they were passing the lake, he remembered watching the fishing animals at their work, and he got an idea. He turned to his friend, who was about a head taller than him, though she was still not full grown. "Hey, Tumaini, want to try to catch a fish?" Mikazo asked._

_Tumaini looked at him, red-orange eyes surprised. "Catch a fish?" she repeated._

"_Yeah, why not? It might be fun," Mikazo said, then grinned. "Unless you're afraid to get your paws wet?" he teased._

_Tumaini grinned back. "Nah, I don't care about the water. I just don't want you to be embarrassed when I catch a fish before you do," she replied playfully as she trotted over to the edge of the lake._

"_I won't be embarrassed, because __**I'm**__ gonna catch the first fish!" he called out challengingly, while stepping to the edge of the lake as well._

_Tumaini let out an amused purr. "Okay, let's see if that works out for you."_

_The two young lions crouched at the lakeside, their paws inches from the water, and watched the lake carefully. Then, when a flash of sliver came near, a quick dart of movement that briefly disturbed the water, Mikazo hurtled himself toward it, paws extended to pin the fish on the sandy bottom of the lake. This type of hunting pounce worked excellently on most land animals, but evidently, it did __**not**__ work very well on water animals. He landed in the water, splashing through the lake surface. His paws were instantly washed out from under him and a huge splash arched in the air over his head as he plunged into the lake. For a moment, all he could see was blue water. Then he let out a surprised yelp that turned into bubbles floating upward. His back paws kicked out and his head broke out of the water. _

_Tumaini watched from the bank, sitting calmly, her eyes glowing with amusement. "I think you missed, Mikazo," she sweetly pointed out the obvious._

_Mikazo spat out a mouth full of water, blinking furiously to clear his eyes. Then he made a show of looking at his empty fore-paws as they moved through the water to keep him afloat. "You know, I think you're right," he told his friend, paddling toward the edge of the lake until his paws touched sand. He walked out onto the lake shore next to Tumaini. His thick fur was pressed to his sides, slicked flat against his body, and he was leaving a puddle of water with every step._

_Tumaini stared at him with amusement, obviously about to comment on his soaked state._

_He decided not to give the lioness a chance._

"_You look a little too dry," he remarked with a fiendish grin, taking a step toward her._

_Tumaini eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed, puffing out her dry and fluffy coat and rising to her paws, her ears pressed flat and her legs tensed._

_Mikazo leapt forward and knocked the red-furred lioness to the ground. When he was standing over her, he shook his fur hard, splattering Tumaini with lake water. His fur was left sticking up in all directions, damp and rumpled; on the upside, Tumaini was now nearly as soaked as he was._

"_You-" Tumaini sputtered, shaking her head and sending droplets flying. "When I get my paws on you-" she threatened, though it was clear she was trying not to laugh. _

_Mikazo quickly leapt off of her, spun, and sprinted away. Before he had gotten more than a few feet, however, Tumaini had leapt on him from behind and pinned him to the ground. Then she raised a soft white-tipped fore-paw to thump him with, keeping her claws in their sheaves. _

_Mikazo yelped in fake panic. "Wait, hold on a second! Aren't we having a fishing competition?" he asked, hopeful she would let him go._

_Tumaini dropped her raised paw. "Well, yes," she said slowly, not letting him up. _

_Mikazo nodded, which was rather hard to do when he was pinned to the ground. "Right, so if anything happens to me, it would be hard for you to continue the competition. One against none isn't very challenging," he pointed out._

_Tumaini sat back and tapped one paw thoughtfully on her muzzle, keeping the other paw in its place on the back of Mikazo's neck. "You have a point there," she admitted. "I can't win if I don't have an opponent."_

"_That's very true," Mikazo agreed enthusiastically. "So, will you let me up?"_

_Tumaini released her hold on the light brown lion and stepped back. "For now. But after the competition, I will __**get**__ you," she announced cheerfully. Her fur was still damp, turning it from the color of flame to a deeper red._

"_If you can catch me, you mean." Mikazo grinned as he stood back up, then trotted back to the lake. _

_The water, which had been disturbed by Mikazo's failed fishing attempt, had by then stilled, and the fish were once again darting back and forth under the surface. The two of them took up their positions near the edge of the lake._

_After a short while, a fish came near the edge and Tumaini, instead of trying to pounce on the fish, stayed in place and shot out a paw, claws extended; it hooked under the silvery-scaled animal and almost flipped it out, but at the last second the fish slipped sinuously from her paw, dropped through the air back into the water, and darted away, deep into the depths of the lake._

"_Nice try!" Mikazo knew that they were competing, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be nice. She had worked out a pretty good technique. "That was a great idea- you almost caught one."_

_Tumaini shrugged dismissively, though she looked pleased. "Thanks. I thought I'd try fishing the way I've seen birds do it. But since I don't have a beak, I used my paw."_

_"I gotta try that," Mikazo said, and walked toward another part of the lake, where the fish hadn't been disturbed._

"_Isn't that stealing my idea?" Tumaini questioned as she followed._

"_Well, yes." Mikazo threw a smirk over his shoulder at the lioness. _

"_Okay, then," Tumaini said, nodding with a proud grin._

_Mikazo and Tumaini crouched down at the edge of the lake again, but on a different part than where they'd been trying to fish before._

_The next one to try to catch a fish was Mikazo, who managed to copy Tumaini's move and hook the fish with his claws. He tossed the fish skyward out of the water, but it slipped from his claws before he could throw it on the bank, and then it dived for the safety of the deepest area of the lake._

_The two of them continued their attempts at fishing for a while, until Tumaini, who was trying to scoop a fish out of the water, splashed Mikazo in the face._

_Mikazo blinked the water from his silvery-blue eyes and shot Tumaini a menacing glare._

"_What? I didn't mean to splash you," the lioness defended herself. "But it __**was **__kinda fun." Tumaini was smirking until a wave of water washed over her. Mikazo had used both his front paws to scoop the water at his friend._

_Tumaini stared at him for a moment, droplets falling from her pelt. Then without a word she calmly shook the water from her coat until it was almost dry. That done, she stepped into the lake and waded deeper until the water was touching her belly-fur. Turning back to Mikazo, she lifted one front paw above the water and announced; "Okay, the competition has changed. First one to leave the water war loses." _

"_You're on!" Mikazo leapt into the lake. As he landed, he twisted around and shoved a wave of water at the bright, red-brown lioness, who leapt forward into the wave, drenching her fur even more. Then she scooped a paw-full of water back at Mikazo._

_The two continued to splash each other, having fun despite the water soaking their coats. They played in the water until shadows began to darken the surface of the lake._

_Just as Mikazo sent a particularly drenching splash at Tumaini, he heard a voice say, "Hey, guys!" They looked toward the bank to see Nuru standing there, her fur almost white in the sunlight. _

"_Oh, hi, Nuru!" Tumaini said, paddling over to the shore._

"_What's up?" Mikazo asked, following her and stepping out of the lake._

_Nuru scanned their dripping coats and grinned. "Why wasn't I invited to the game?" she asked._

_Mikazo shrugged. "When we decided to do it, you weren't around."_

"_You can come with us next time," Tumaini offered. "We could team up against Mikazo."_

"_Sounds like a plan," Nuru agreed. Mikazo gulped._

"_Well, I was sent to find you two, it's time to eat," Nuru went back to the reason she had come._

_Eat! Both Mikazo and Tumaini had been playing so hard that they were now starving, though neither had thought of food up till now. They had both been enjoying themselves too much to remember the necessity of food at all, but now that he was reminded of it, Mikazo was very eager to get to their meal, and from her expression, so was Tumaini._

"_Okay, let's get going!" Tumaini shook out her fur hard, making sure she was standing next to Mikazo when she did, splattering his already soaked fur with yet more water. Mikazo guessed it was payback._

_Deciding to let that go in favor of getting something to eat, he sprinted off through the tall grass toward home. Tumaini and Nuru kept pace with him as they returned home together for their meal._

The scene faded as the sounds around Mikazo woke him from his dream.

Raising his head groggily, Mikazo saw that the hunting party of Simba's pride had returned, triumphantly dragging a large brown-spotted giraffe with them. Nala and Vitani were pulling it by its long neck, and Kovu had a grip on one of its shoulders. A few of the others, including Kimada, were dragging it by its legs. The returning hunters looked tired, but pleased with their efforts.

Mikazo watched them pull the giraffe to Pride Rock, shaking his head to clear the dream-memory from his mind. As they pulled it to the foot of the pride's home, Mikazo stood with a sigh. He missed playing with Tumaini. He wondered how she and the rest of his pride mates were doing right now. With Jinamizi in charge, he worried that their lives were too hard.

He glanced up at the sky. It was beginning to darken into twilight. The land around them was becoming blanketed with purplish shadows. The hunt had taken longer than was usual for the Pride Landers.

He got to his paws and trotted over to them as they dropped their prey at the foot of Pride Rock.

"Welcome back," he said.

"Thanks, Mikazo," Kimada greeted him cheerfully, his bright blue eyes still gleaming with excitement from the hunt. He looked tired like the rest of the hunters, but, being Kimada, tiredness didn't stop him from being upbeat.

Nala, Kovu, Vitani and the others added their own greetings, while Simba came bounding down Pride Rock's path toward them.

He and Nala bumped heads, then he said to the group, "It looks like the hunt went well."

"It sure did," Vitani rasped, clearly pleased.

Kiara and Daka came trotting down the rocks at this point. Kovu greeted his family with nuzzles, and Daka started tugging on his father's tail.

"Did you catch that, Dad?" the cub asked his father with wide, impressed eyes, indicating the giraffe.

"It was a group effort," Kovu said, lightly flicking Daka's head with his soft furred tail-tip, after he had pulled it free of the cub's sharp little teeth. Abandoning his attack on Kovu's tail, Daka instead leapt up on Vitani's leg and from there onto his aunt's shoulder. It was a good place to nestle himself so he could nip at her jaw, bat at her ears, and claw at her cheek.

Twisting her neck, Vitani gripped Daka's scruff in her teeth and gently pulled the cub from her shoulders, then set him on the ground and nudged him toward his mother as Simba called the rest of the pride with a roar, announcing the hunters' return and that it was time to eat.

The rest of Simba's pride came streaming down Pride Rock from inside the cave and from the rocks they had been laying on. Then all of the pride sat down to eat. Daka wouldn't be able to eat meat for months yet, but as Kiara had fed him just a short time ago, he was content to watch the lions feast while occasionally pouncing on his family's tails, which they all took in a good-natured manner.

After they ate, the group broke off in different directions, with most of the hunters heading for Pride Rock's cave for a well-deserved rest. Before following their example, Kimada decided to head out toward the waterhole for a drink.

As he left, Mikazo fell in step beside him. "So how'd the hunt go?" he asked his friend. Since he hadn't gone with the hunters, he wanted to hear how it went.

"Well," Kimada started, "we were following a group of giraffe, aiming for the one we caught. It was older than the others."

Mikazo nodded. It was best to hunt old or sick prey. Only if they had no other option would most lions hunt a young and healthy animal, as the strong ones were needed to survive so that the species wouldn't die out. If that happened, the lions would have nothing to eat, so most lions followed that basic hunting rule. Besides, hunting the old and sick was usually easier than hunting healthy animals.

"We followed the giraffe group for a while, until they actually led us past the Pride Lands' border!" Kimada said, looking pleased with the memory. "I'd never been out of the Pride Lands in that direction before. There were high hills and low ones, plus a few fields and a couple trees. The giraffe ate a few leaves and went back to walking before we could get a good chance to attack. All of us were getting pretty thirsty, it was hot and we'd been following those giraffe for a while. None of us knew that area very well, so it was a while before we found something to drink. I was really glad to see that stream! Even if the water was a little brackish." Kimada grimaced slightly, and then brightened back up and continued, "So, we kept after the giraffe a while longer and finally got a chance to attack the old one. We took it down and brought it all the way back here, which was a long way to go hauling a large giraffe, by the way." Kimada grinned. "In other words, it was great!"

Mikazo smiled. "Glad you had fun," he told his friend. He kind of wished he had gone along rather than taking that nap. He was sure that seeing new places would have been interesting.

The two friends arrived at the waterhole, drank their fill, then started back to Pride Rock.

As they walked up the path to the cave, Mikazo saw Zazu the hornbill standing in front of Simba and Nala in the entrance to the cave. He was giving a report to the king and queen. The small orange-beaked bird seemed worried, and Mikazo could hear why. The jackals that he had reported about earlier were still at it, attacking and hunting more prey than was their share, and they were apparently getting bolder. Zazu said that the pack of jackals, which was a very large pack that had somewhere around seventeen members, had actually attacked an adult elephant and took it down just earlier today, a _healthy _elephant. This surprised Mikazo. Jackals had been known to hunt sick and injured animals as large as elephants were, but a healthy adult one? That wasn't good. Few animals would try, and none would attempt it if they weren't part of a large group hunting as a team. The fact that the jackals would try something so bold and risky was a worrying thought, and the fact that they had succeeded in bringing down the elephant was even more so. Even worse, the jackals, Zazu reported, seemed to be hunting for challenge and sport rather than simply for food.

"What can be done, Simba?" Zazu finished his report in a slightly high pitched voice; Mikazo realized that the small bird was well within the hunting capability of the jackal pack. It was no wonder he was so worried.

Simba shook his head, red-orange eyes troubled. "We will just have to keep a closer watch. If we see the jackals hunting more than is their right, we can attempt to interrupt their hunt. It's really all we can do." He looked at Nala for confirmation of the plan.

"If we see them needlessly attacking a herd, we will stop them," Nala agreed.

Zazu bowed his thanks and farewell and took flight, still looking worried. Mikazo watched the Majordomo wing his way into the distance until he became a black speck that disappeared in the darkening sky.


	8. The Storm

**Hello, again! I got this chapter up faster than I thought I would. Thank you again for reading my story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll get the next one up as fast as I can.**

It was early morning when Mikazo was awakened by the feel of tiny, sharp claws sinking lightly into his tail-tip. He sat up with a yelp and turned to find Daka at his tail. The cub's red-brown eyes were glowing with mischief.

"Good morning!" the cub said cheerfully, removing his claws from Mikazo's tail. Mikazo grumbled because it was expected, but he rather liked this ritual. As he did every morning, Daka had come to play with his older playmates. In fact, Mikazo reflected, his and Daka's days had fallen into quite an acceptable pattern. After playing with Kimada and Daka in the mornings, Mikazo trained or "play-fought" with the older, more accomplished lions while Daka watched with his parents and others.

Daka "trained" a lot, too, for someday he would be king of these pride lands. But his training was all fun and games at this age. He play-fought with his parents in between short naps; naps his mom referred to as "sanity breaks". Mikazo chuckled to himself. Daka did seem to have boundless energy.

The little mahogany cub had a lot of fun every day, and, as Mikazo thought about it, so did he. He was again overwhelmed with gratitude for having found this place and been accepted so readily into these lions' lives.

Mikazo blinked hard to wake himself up, then said, "Good morning, Daka."

Still laying on his stomach, he looked out the entrance of the cave and sighed; the sun was higher than it usually was when Mikazo woke up. Lately, he had been waking up while the sun was still rising, thanks to Kimada and Daka. But right now the pink and yellow morning light was already fading into a clear blue. Mikazo had fallen asleep later than usual. He'd lain awake, unable to get comfortable, to calm his mind. He hadn't been able to relax because he was so worried that his pride mates weren't getting enough food. He hoped he hadn't kept anyone else awake while he shifted again and again. The fact that they'd let him sleep in made him feel guiltily sheepish. Someone had noticed his sleepless night.

Mikazo had thought of his pride as they ate the giraffe that the hunters had brought back the night before. He felt almost guilty about eating such a large amount of meat when his pride mates, the lions he grew up with and who had supplied him with food for so long, had to sneak around for their own meat. Their new king, the rogue who had killed Mikazo's parents and the little cub, Jamili, obviously garnered no respect from the females that made up his pride. The unnecessary killings were not the only crimes to his name. At Mikazo's last visit to his pride lands to see how things were going, the lionesses were eating on the sly and discussing why they'd been forced to do so. To withhold food from anyone, let alone the hunters who brought it in, was an outrage and Mikazo vowed to himself to train even harder so he could get back home and oust that rogue.

"Let's go!" Daka's voice brought him out of his thoughts of his own pride and back to the Pride Lands. He looked down at the cub. Daka was kneading the stone floor with excitement, his tail waving slightly behind him and his head tilted back to stare up at Mikazo with bright eyes; he clearly wanted to get out into the Savannah and play right away.

"Aright," Mikazo agreed. "Where's Kimada?" he asked as he got to his paws.

"Outside," Daka said, already sprinting to the entrance of the cave. Mikazo quickly followed him.

They found Kimada sitting on a sun-heated stone near the edge of Pride Rock's promontory, apparently waiting for them and enjoying the sunlight as he did, and he joined the other two in their morning trek down to the grasslands. Kovu and Kiara looked on with love in their eyes for their cub and gratitude to the two lions who so frequently gave of themselves for the young cub.

The three of them soon arrived at the large grassy field that was now their usual playing place, the one that they had taken Daka to that first day when they'd offered to take the cub for a few games while his parents rested.

Once they arrived at their destination, Kimada turned to Mikazo. He was feeling strong, healthy and energetic this morning and couldn't wait to put his muscles to use. "I'll race you to that tree over there," he challenged, indicating an acacia tree all the way across the field.

"You're on!" Mikazo grinned.

"Yeah, you're on!" Daka yelled.

Both of them looked down at the cub. They had forgotten him for a moment there, but now remembered that he was too small to keep up with them in a flat out race like that if they didn't give him an advantage.

"It would be hard for you to keep up with us for that distance, Daka," Mikazo told him gently.

"I can do it, I'd do fine!" the cub said determinedly.

"Alright," Kimada agreed. "I have a plan. Since it would still be hard for you to race that far because your legs are still a bit short, why don't we try this? Mikazo and I will start the race at that tree, and you'll start here. Your goal is to get to that tree as fast as you can and tag it. Can you do that?"

The little cub gave a small nod, uncertain as to what his older friends would be doing.

"Good boy!" Kimada exclaimed. "Okay, Mikazo and I will run from that tree, back to this point, turn around, and run back to tag the tree. So we'll be doing double the distance. Only fair since our legs are about twice as long as yours. Do you think that will work for you?"

Mikazo thought the idea was a good one. But it was obviously making it easier for the cub, and he wasn't sure Daka would like that.

Sure enough, he didn't. "But," Daka protested, frowning, "that's twice as far as I have to run!"

"Yes," Mikazo agreed. "But remember; like Kimada said, the two of us are twice your size." He put a paw next to Daka to prove his point. One of the cream-color-tipped paws was almost as large as Daka's head, and Mikazo wasn't full-grown yet. The two older lions were actually more than twice Daka's size, but Mikazo decided not to mention that to the cub. His pride was probably injured enough already.

"Well..." Daka looked thoughtfully at the paw held next to him for a long moment, realizing its size compared to him, then said, "Alright, I guess that that'll work."

"Good!" Kimada said as he looked to Mikazo for his agreement. Mikazo nodded. It was a good plan. The two friends started in the direction of the tree and Kimada looked back at Daka. "But don't think it's gonna be easy just because I have to run farther then you, Daka," he called back to cub. "I intend to win this race!

Mikazo trotted up next to Kimada. "Good luck with that, Kimada. You're built like a rhinoceros, while I'm built like a cheetah," he said playfully. "I think we could tell who's gonna win from that, really."

Kimada looked at his friend in surprise for a few seconds.

"What?" Mikazo finally asked, wondering why Kimada was looking at him like that.

"Why haven't I heard you joke around like that before?" the sun-colored lion asked, bemused.

Mikazo shrugged. "I used to joke all the time when I was at my pride. I guess I didn't really feel comfortable enough to do that here until now." Then he grinned. "So, welcome to the real me!"

Kimada grinned back. "Well, that's good, then. Just one thing..." Mikazo looked at him. "This _rhinoceros_ going to stomp you!" Kimada lunged at Mikazo with a friendly roar.

Letting out a laugh, Mikazo caught his friend in mid-air and the two of them rolled around the field, swatting and snapping at each other in their usual play-fighting style.

They stopped mid-blow when they heard Daka. "Hey, guys! What about the race?" Mikazo disentangled himself from Kimada and looked over to see the cub watching them impatiently, his deep mahogany tail-tip flicking back and forth as he sat at the starting point.

"Right," Kimada said with a nod. "Got distracted there for a moment."

"Sorry, Daka," Mikazo apologized.

"No problem," Daka said easily, then whined, "But let's get going already!"

Kimada grinned. "You got it!" he said as they both darted over to the acacia tree.

Once there, the two lions crouched by the base of the large tree, while Daka stayed far on the other side of the field, himself crouched and little body tensed to spring.

"Ready?" Mikazo called over to the small cub.

"Yep!" Daka called back happily.

"Okay, GO!" Kimada yelled. And the three lions started running.

Mikazo and Kimada were staying almost even, neither of them pulling ahead nor falling behind for long. Daka, racing toward them and the tree, was a little brown blur, sprinting and weaving though the grass that reached his stomach.

The two older lions passed Daka running toward the tree in the opposite direction. Then, a few seconds later, they reached the part where the cub had started running. They looped around and raced back toward the tree, Kimada momentarily gaining the lead because he had run on the inside of the loop while Mikazo had run on the outside of it. Mikazo caught up shortly after and the two lions went into a flat out sprint. Ahead of them, Daka had almost reached the tree; he had about a quarter of the field left to run.

They pulled alongside Daka when he was a few feet from the acacia tree. Daka, who didn't see them right away, whipped to the side to avoid a rock in his path. As he did, he crashed headlong into Kimada's front paw, knocking it out from under him. Unbalanced, Kimada stumbled into Mikazo and all three lions went down in a heap.

The momentum of their running caused the pile of lions to skid over to the tree, finishing the race in a heap of paws, heads and tails.

Mikazo was squashed under Kimada, who was sprawled across Mikazo's back, while Daka had landed on one of Kimada's paws. Mikazo found the whole situation so funny he couldn't help bursting into laughter. When he did, Kimada and Daka joined him.

When he could speak through his laughter, Daka said, "So, uh, does anyone know who won?"

This only made all three young lions laugh harder.

When they finally calmed down, they sat up next to the tree, getting their breath back, each of them still occasionally letting out a chuckle. Once he could breathe easily again, Mikazo tapped Daka's shoulder with a paw. "You're it!" he tagged the cub with a grin, and they were off again, racing through the yellow-brown grass and darting around small rocks and boulders.

The three of them continued to play, racing and having fun, until the sun was high in the sky. Then, after they stopped at the waterhole to quench the thirst they'd built, the trio headed back to Pride Rock.

Their timing was excellent, as the hunting party was just coming back from a successful trip. Since they had brought in such a large kill just yesterday, today they were bringing in smaller things. There were several different species of birds, including cormorants, osprey and flamingos. They also brought some hares and a few dik-dik. The whole pride took their prey of choice and settled down to eat it.

After lunch, Mikazo and Kimada, with Simba and the others who usually watched the mock-battles and occasionally trained together themselves, headed to the training field for the usual afternoon session.

As they arrived, Mikazo remembered that today he and Kimada were going to have a match and the victor would face Nala. Despite his nervousness over Nala's skill, he thought that it would be fun to try to beat Nala, if he won against Kimada and got the chance to face her that is.

"Alright," Simba called from where he sat at the edge of the field, once Mikazo and Kimada were in the battle area. "Begin!"

The two younger lions crouched low and stalked toward each other.

Kimada leapt at Mikazo, who darted forward and to the side, ending up behind Kimada as the other lion landed. Mikazo swatted at Kimada's back leg, trying to knock it out from under him. Kimada dodged to the side and spun on his back paws in one quick movement, turning and lunging at Mikazo. Instead of trying to dodge, Mikazo leapt forward too, and met Kimada's attack head-on, catching the other lion and causing them both to tumble to the ground. Mikazo slammed against the ground with Kimada on top of him. His shoulder hit the solid, sun-baked ground hard, causing him to wince with a quiet yelp, and he knew a bruise would form. The momentary jolt of pain made it hard for him to escape his friend's clutches.

Finally, he managed to wrench free of Kimada's paws and teeth and leapt to his paws, favoring the leg whose shoulder had struck the ground. Kimada got to his paws as well and immediately lunged at the light brown lion. Mikazo quickly leapt backward to avoid the blow. He caught Kimada's head with a swiping paw as he landed, causing his friend to jerk back. As Kimada shook his head to clear it, Mikazo took the opportunity to tackle Kimada, knocking him to the ground.

Kimada rolled with the tackle, and the two bundled back and forth, both trying to pin the other. Mikazo's injured shoulder made the fight harder because he was unable to put his full strength into his blows, and he was favoring his left side, trying to protect it. The two lions flipped over and over until Mikazo slammed against the ground once more with Kimada on top of him. He struggled for a moment longer, but couldn't toss the sun-colored lion off.

Kimada put one paw on Mikazo's neck and the other on his chest, and pinned him.

"Kimada wins!" he heard Simba call.

Kimada let Mikazo to his paws, and Mikazo quickly backed away from the battlefield to make room for Nala, saying, "Good luck." to Kimada as he did. Though Mikazo was disappointed that he lost, he was also glad that his friend had won.

"Thanks!" Kimada said as Nala bounded forward to face him.

Mikazo sat down on the edge of the field to watch, and to rest. Rafiki, the mandrill Shaman who, among other things, tended to the lions of Pride Rock whenever they were injured and whom Mikazo had met earlier, showed up beside him with a poultice for his shoulder, startling Mikazo with his sudden appearance. As he worked, the Shaman mumbled to himself about the long dry season and the sun-baked ground and how the late rainy season had all the animals wondering if lack of water would be a problem soon. Mikazo listened with concern. It was true; the dry season had gone on longer than it had the year before. Though he'd been a little young at the time, he was sure the rains had been unrelenting at this time of year. If the dry season lasted much longer, then he knew that his pride as well as the Pride Landers could begin to have trouble. Mikazo really didn't need another thing to worry about where his pride was concerned. Neither, he suspected, did Simba, when it came to his own pride.

While listening to Rafiki, Mikazo also kept on eye on his friend's match against Nala. As the battle began, Kimada ran at Nala, who slipped swiftly to the side and next to him, shoving into his side shoulder-first before he could whirl to face her. Kimada stumbled and, while he was off-balance, Nala leapt at him and knocked him onto his side. Kimada fought to avoid a pin, whipping his head up and biting Nala's leg; being careful, of course, not to bite through the skin. He battered at her stomach with his hind paws, but wasn't able to pull his legs back far enough to put much strength in the blows. Kimada was taking hits himself as Nala swatted at him with her fore-paws. It was clear Nala had the advantage, but Kimada was never one to give up.

The young lion gave a hard kick with both his back paws, shoving the larger tan-furred lioness off of him. Nala landed hard, and the breath was driven from her. Kimada leapt toward her as she lay on the ground, but before he could land on her, Nala rolled to the side and jumped to her paws. She was breathing heavily from the kick, but appeared otherwise unfazed. Instead of leaping on top of her, Kimada barreled into Nala's side, and the lioness rolled with the hit and flung Kimada off of her. He stumbled as he landed, and before he could recover his balance, Nala swiped Kimada's paws out from under him and flipped him on his back, planting her fore-paws on his chest. Kimada was pinned.

"Nala wins!" Simba called out. Nala let Kimada go. Kimada rolled to his stomach and then sat up, breathing roughly from the hard fights.

"You did well," Mikazo heard Nala say to the panting lion.

"Thanks," Kimada said breathlessly. "You're a great fighter!"

"Thank you, Kimada," Nala answered with a smile, dipping her head in acknowledgment. Then she left the fighting area, sitting back down at the edge of the field next to Simba and Kiara.

Mikazo trotted over to his friend just as Kimada got to his paws.

"Nala's right, you did do well," Mikazo said. He was impressed with his friend's fighting skills, he'd put up quite a fight against Nala. And for a moment Mikazo had thought Kimada might win.

"Thanks," Kimada said again, and then he grinned with a glimmer of pride in his eyes, tilting his head cockily. "I _did_ do well, didn't I?"

"Yep," Mikazo agreed, smiling. Then his smile changed to a challenging grin. "Now, let's see if you can win against me a second time, shall we? Even with a handicap," he indicated his shoulder, newly covered in the healing poultice Rafiki had made, with his muzzle, "I can easily beat you."

"Ha! Bring it on!" Kimada said as he leapt at Mikazo.

The two friends continued to train and play-fight for a while longer until the sun lowered in the sky. As the shadows grew, dark streaks stretching across the land from the trees and boulders that cast them, they left the training field for Pride Rock, intending to rest on the stones and soak up the remaining sunlight.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

It had been three days since the Pride Lander hunters had followed a giraffe herd out of the Pride Lands' borders, stopping to drink from a river before they had caught the giraffe. Simba was beginning to think that the river the hunters had drunk from had been polluted, because the lions that had gone on the hunt all seemed to be getting sick now.

Mikazo first noticed this when he was training with Kimada. Though he usually lost to Kimada around as often as he won against him, today, Mikazo was winning all of the matches easily, to his surprise. Kimada was panting hard as he fought and his attacks were slower, less focused and less powerful than was usual for the energetic lion.

When Mikazo stopped the fight to ask his friend if he was okay, Kimada insisted that he was doing great, despite the fact he was having trouble getting the words out as he said them. Mikazo wasn't fooled and decided to stop training with Kimada for the day. After a brief protest, Kimada reluctantly agreed, and that alone confirmed the fact that Mikazo's friend wasn't feeling well. Normally, Kimada would never agree to go back to Pride Rock early.

Once they got back to the pride's home, Kimada sat down near the edge of the monolith with noticeable weariness, letting the sun warm his fur. Mikazo left him to rest and walked around Pride Rock, looking to see how the other lions were doing, wanting to find out if anyone besides his friend was having trouble.

Sure enough, Mikazo saw that Vitani, Nala and Kovu were all breathing roughly and looking ragged, and he heard Vitani complaining of a stomach ache.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Mikazo looked over to see Simba talking to Nala. The red-maned lion looked concerned.

"I'm fine, Simba. Really," Nala assured him, though she was sitting on the floor of the den, her sides heaving with her breath and her head lowered as though she felt too drained to hold it up.

Frowning with worry, Mikazo glanced around Pride Rock. Kovu was laying in a patch of sunlight, curled up with his tail wrapped against his muzzle, his shoulders hunched and eyes clenched. Mikazo wondered if the dark-brown lion had a stomach ache like Vitani did.

He spotted Kudura, the leader of the hunting parties, as well as Kukimbia, Huni, Nyota and Mwezi, all scattered around the promontory. They were all sick as well. Mikazo realized that all of the lions who were sick were the ones who had gone on the hunt for the giraffe, though he didn't know what that hunt might have to do with anything.

When he brought this up to Simba, the golden lion agreed that it was all the ones who had been on that hunt. Simba told him that he thought there might have been something in the water that the hunters had drunk from the river. Mikazo agreed that that might be it. It made sense. He just hoped it was nothing more than a mild sickness.

"How sick are they?" he asked Simba, voicing his thoughts.

"At the moment? They aren't too sick, really, but they aren't healthy either," Simba answered. "They all have stomach aches and are all breathing hard. All of them are low in energy, too, though that's to be expected I suppose. I told them all to rest rather than go out on a walk or a hunt. Kudura has been temporarily replaced as lead hunter. She wasn't happy about that, but she agreed to rest for a little. Though she said she'd be back up and leading the hunt again by tomorrow." Simba smiled slightly. "I hope she's right."

"So do I," Mikazo said. He looked at the lions around him; Kiara and Daka were laying next to Kovu, who was still curled up because of his stomach ache. Kovu seemed glad to have his family near.

Kudura was laying at the edge of Pride Rock. The golden-brown lioness was looking longingly down at the many herds grazing below. Mikazo guessed that Kudura wanted to go and lead a hunt like she always did. Nyota and Huni were sitting next to each other in the mouth of the cave, looking lethargic and wincing every now and then from their own stomach aches. A few feet from them lay Mwezi. The scruffy dark-tan lioness lay on her side, looking tired and irritated at being unable to leave Pride Rock for so much as a walk.

As for Kimada, he was now laying on his back, looking up at the sky above him. Occasionally his back paws would twitch restlessly. It was obvious the sun-colored lion would have been out in the grasslands right now, rather than laying around at Pride Rock, if he hadn't been ill.

Mikazo felt bad for all the sick lions. He turned back to Simba. "Would you like me to go get Rafiki?" he offered, wanting to help.

Simba shook his head. "Normally, yes, but Rafiki isn't in the Pride Lands right now."

Mikazo stared at him in surprise. "Rafiki's not here? Where did he go?"

Simba shrugged. "I don't know, but he said he was going on something he called a 'sabbatical.' He said that he'll be back in a few days."

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Rafiki was laying in a large leaf hammock in a lush leafy jungle.

The foliage around him was made up of vibrant greens and brilliant reds, yellows and oranges. Massive, bright-colored flowers of all types and hues grew on the moss-carpeted ground and dangled from the huge trees and from the thick green and gray vines arching overhead. Beams of sunlight broke through the thick canopy of branches and leaves, dotting the jungle floor with patches of bright light and leaving other parts of it in deep shadow, making the ground look like the pelt of a giant leopard. The calls of all kinds of animals echoed through the trees. Monkeys, big cats, and birds almost, but not quite, drowned out the loud, humming buzz and chirps of thousands of insects that could be heard all throughout the jungle.

The hammock Rafiki was laying in was a very large leaf, larger than the mandrill himself, and was attached to the tree by several thick vines that Rafiki had strung through the leaf. The mandrill lay with his arms folded behind his head and one ankle crossed over the other, relaxing with his eyes half-closed contentedly.

As he rested, a large colorful bird walked up to him, stopping next to the hammock. The bird was carrying a tray made out of tree bark in his bright orange beak, holding it steady and even. On the tray was half a coconut that was being used as a cup. Inside the coconut-cup was water, and floating in the water was a juicy slice of lemon. The bird held out the tray with the drink to Rafiki, who took the coconut-cup with a grateful sigh.

"Tank you," Rafiki said to the bird, who nodded his head, wooden tray still clamped in his beak, and went off.

Rafiki took a sip from his lemon-flavored water and leaned back in the leaf hammock. "Ah, now dis is de life." He sighed in contentment. He'd needed a rest and had decided to finally take one. Simba's pride would be fine without him for a few days. All were hale and hearty when he left; none were in need of a Shaman. It was only a few days after all. What could possibly happen?

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

_Now sure is a great time for Rafiki to pick to leave, _Mikazo thought to himself, his tail flicking anxiously. The light brown lion was walking back toward Pride Rock with Daka at his side. Mikazo didn't really know what to do with his time when so many of the lions he trained and played with were sick.

A short time ago, after talking with Simba, Mikazo had taken Daka out to play. It wasn't as much fun as it usually was, as both of them had missed the third member of their group, Kimada, who had stayed behind to rest. All the same, the two lions had stayed out and played for a while, having fun racing and play-fighting before going back to Pride Rock when the sun was hanging in the middle of the sky.

When they arrived, they found Kiara waiting at the foot of Pride Rock. She greeted her cub with an affectionate nuzzle and then looked at Mikazo. "Thanks for taking him out again," she said.

"Any time. It's always fun to play with Daka," Mikazo told her. "How's Kovu doing?" he asked, concerned.

"Well, he doesn't like laying around all day," Kiara said with a slight smile. "He's bored and he claims that he's doing fine, but he definitely isn't feeling his best, whether he wants to admit it or not." Kiara flicked her tail for Daka to bat at, and the cub joyfully leapt to do so. He swatted at it playfully, rearing on his hind paws and trying to catch his mother's tail between his sand-color-tipped fore-paws.

"I hope that he feels better soon," Mikazo said sincerely. He had really started to like and respect Kovu.

"Yeah, so do I." Kiara sighed. "Mom's sick, too. She's resting right now, though she's not too thrilled about it, either. I'm just glad no one seems to be really sick."

"Yeah, hopefully they're all over the worst," Mikazo said. Kiara nodded in agreement and then dipped her head to pick Daka up by his scruff. The cub's back legs churned in the air as he wriggled in protest.

"Hey!" Daka said indignantly, having wanted to continue attacking his mother's tail. Soon, though, he settled down and let his mom carry him up the rocky path to Pride Rock.

Mikazo bounded up after them. As he climbed up the path, he slowed to look around and see how everyone was doing. It was much the same as when he had left to play with Daka; the sick lions were laying around and resting in the sunlight, and none of them were looking at all healthy. They were scattered in loose groups all around the promontory, all of them resting.

Once he reached the top of the path, Mikazo saw Kovu near the mouth of the cave with Kiara laying next to him. Kiara had her paws tucked under her chest. Daka was curled up in his father's mane, lightly pawing at the thick, dark fur. Mikazo guessed the little cub was trying to cheer Kovu up, and it looked like it was working. Vitani was a short distance from the family, laying on her back and looking restless. He also noticed Nala, who was half-laying, half-sitting in the mouth of the cave. Mikazo could see her swiveling her head back and forth as she watched over the other sick lions. Mikazo guessed she was watching to make sure they were alright, even though she was sick herself.

It looked like all of the lions who were sick were still in pain. He could tell by the way they were laying, hunched over as if protecting their stomachs. To make matters worse, they seemed to be breathing harder than usual, like they couldn't get enough air.

Simba was walking from lion to lion to check on their health, though it looked like he was trying not to disturb their rest as he did so. He didn't bother any who were nearly asleep, though he stopped to speak for a moment to those who were fully awake.

Mikazo's best friend had a bright red-gold pelt among the grays, browns, golds and tans. He was easily spotted. Mikazo trotted over to Kimada, who was curled at the edge of Pride Rock in a patch of sun.

"Hey there," Mikazo said as he sat down next to Kimada. "How are you feeling?"

Kimada raised his head. "Hey, Mikazo. I'm just fine, but they're making me stay here and rest! Can you believe that?" The bright-furred lion was obviously not just fine, but Mikazo was glad to see that he was feeling alright enough to complain about having to rest.

"You are sick, Kimada," Mikazo pointed out. "Staying here is for your own good."

Kimada twitched his sun-colored tail. "Traitor," he accused mournfully.

Mikazo just shrugged. "Simba thinks that it might have been the water that you and the others drank on that hunting trip out of the Pride Lands, that it might have been polluted," he told his friend.

Kimada sighed. "And I was so glad to see that river, too." Then he noticed Mikazo looking at him sympathetically and he shook his head. "I'll be up and about in no time," he promised. "Just you wait! Then we can get back to training again. With all this rest I'm getting, you won't stand a chance."

Mikazo laughed. "Okay, Kimada. If you want to think that, go right ahead," he said teasingly.

"Okay, I will," Kimada answered with a satisfied grin.

When Mikazo saw the drained look in his friend's eyes he continued, "Really, don't worry, you'll be up and around in no time and I'll have my sidekick by my side once again."

Kimada laughed. "I'm _your_ sidekick? It's quite the other way around, my friend. You, you scrawny excuse for a lion, are _my_ sidekick!"

"Scrawny? I'll give you scrawny! You had just better get well soon because we have to decide this like the ferocious lions we are." Mikazo growled playfully, crouching as if to spring.

"Right. We'll see who can get a date first."

"ARGH! You're impossible!"

Both lions laughed.

Mikazo stayed and chatted with his friend for a little while longer, but when it became apparent that Kimada was fighting to stay awake, he dropped all banter and, with concern shining in his eyes, asked his friend to call him whenever he needed anything, anything at all. Mikazo swore to Kimada that he'd be by his side in a moment's time if he but called.

As the day passed, the lions that had gone on that fateful hunt appeared to only be getting sicker, not better. Mikazo saw a few of the healthy lions forming a hunting party. Even if so many of their pride was sick, they all still needed to eat, and so a hunt was necessary. He was about to join them and help bring in some food when he remembered something. Back when he was living with his own pride mates, he had often heard Nuru talking about herbs that have healing properties. The pale-tan lioness had always been going out into the grasslands to gather different kinds of plants to help with her pride mate's occasional aches and pains, and had learned enough about them to became quite adept in their use. She had used herbs to help Cheneta one time when she had cut her leg on a thick patch of brambles. Nuru had put something on the wound to keep it from getting infected, and to sooth the pain. Another time, Nuru had given Mikazo's father, Hodari, something for his cough that had been coming on, and it had cleared up in just a few days.

Mikazo had once asked Nuru about the plants she uses, curious about how they worked, and how Nuru knew what to use. The lioness had quite eagerly shared her knowledge about all about the different kinds of plants and herbs she used, and how she recognizes the different kind of herbs according to where they grow, what their leaves, stems, and flowers look like and what they smell like. She'd also told Mikazo about the different effects of the herbs, which, for most of the plants, differ according to whether the lion being treated swallows it or if it's put directly on the wounded area. Mikazo hadn't understood all of it, and had certainly not retained all of it, but Nuru had been, and still was, so excited about it that he hadn't wanted to stop listening. Besides, it had been kind of interesting.

Now, he remembered the conversation he had had with the light-furred lioness about the plants she was so very interested in, and he wondered if maybe he could use any of it to help the lions of Simba's pride. He wasn't sure how much he remembered exactly of all that Nuru had said, but he was certain he accurately remembered several different kinds of plants that could be used to treat stomach aches. Surely he could find some of those plants on this territory, which, after all, had many of the same kind of plants that grew in his own territory.

Energized by the hope that this idea might make things easier for the sick lions, Mikazo decided to let the hunters go without him this time, and he raced off to find Simba and tell the king his idea.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

He found Simba just outside the entrance to Pride Rock's cave. He told the golden lion about Nuru's herbs and how she had taken care of Mikazo's pride in a way similar to how Rafiki took care of Simba's pride. Though she was, perhaps, not as proficient as the mandrill Shaman was at healing, Mikazo's pride also had far fewer lions in it that had to be cared for. He explained how he thought that they might be able to put some use to what Nuru had told Mikazo about herbs, what he remembered of it, anyway.

Simba thought that using the herbs was a good idea and agreed that it might work well. He did, however, have a lot of questions he wanted to ask before he would agree to using them on his pride members.

"Are you sure that none of these plants are poisonous? The stems, the flowers, the roots, they're all fine?" Simba asked him intently.

Mikazo paused, giving himself time to think about it carefully. If he was wrong and the plants he had in mind were poisonous in any way, the lions he was trying to help could just get sicker or worse, and that was a truly horrible thought. But, no, he was positive that these plants were the right ones to use on sick lions. He even remembered watching Nuru use some of them once or twice when the lions of Mikazo's pride were unwell.

"Yes, I'm sure," he finally answered firmly, nodding.

"And it heals stomach ache?" Simba said questioningly.

"Yeah. There are a few plants that do that, Nuru told me that most of them have other beneficial properties as well, besides healing stomach aches," Mikazo told him.

'Alright, then," Simba agreed. "If it's safe and will help them, then let's go find some herbs."


	9. Herbal Remedies

**Hello! This chapter was a little hard to write, but, like always, it was still a lot of fun. I hope you like this chapter and I'll get the next one up as fast as I can despite the fact that I don't have super-human speed. Or is it a super-human brain I'd need? That, while I may believe is entirely possible, has traditionally been a matter of some debate among my friends and family. Oh, well. Hope you like it.**

The two lions bounded swiftly down the stone path that led to Pride Rock and into the grasslands to look for herbs that would help the sick lions of Simba's pride.

As they stepped out among the tall stalks of grass, Simba turned to Mikazo. "Okay, what are we looking for?" he asked the smaller lion.

"Well, there are three kinds of plants I remember best. They grow in different areas; two of them grow in the grasslands, the third in or near a river-bed. Nuru showed them to me and told me what they do, so I know what they look like," Mikazo answered. "I'm not really sure where to begin looking, though, so maybe we should just look around."

Simba nodded in agreement and the lions set out across the Savannah.

As they walked, Mikazo described the plants to Simba so the red-maned lion would recognize them when he saw them.

Mikazo glanced around the area they were in, close to Pride Rock at the moment. The grasslands stretched far to either side and rose and fell in gentle hills, and herds of all kinds of animals were, as always, scattered abundantly throughout the Pride Lands. Mountains rose high above the land far in the distance, their tips shrouded in thin whips of clouds. He could remember Nuru telling him that one of the plants that he and Simba were now looking for was low-growing, and another grew in river-beds; the third, though, he wasn't sure about. But he was determined to find it.

They walked across the grasslands, searching for the three plants Mikazo could recognize.

After a long while of searching, far enough that Pride Rock was just a small shape in the distance behind them, Mikazo finally spotted one of the plants.

"Simba, here's one!" he called happily. The golden lion, who'd been searching nearby, walked over and Mikazo pointed out the plant. It was growing in between the roots of a tree. The plant was small and low-growing. It had a thin spindly stem that branched off in every direction. Growing from the branching stems were long thin oval-shaped leaves with jagged edges. A few small flowers grew on the plant; the flowers closest to the outside of the plant were purple, while the flowers near the center were a bright yellow.

Mikazo tapped the plant lightly with his paw. "Nuru told me this plant is called Bird's Brandy," he told Simba. "She said that you chew it and swallow for stomach pain."

"Good work finding it. Now, how should we pick it?" Simba asked.

"I think we're supposed to break it off at the stems." The plant grew so low to the ground that Mikazo couldn't see how he could grab the stems in his teeth, so he decided to use his claws. He crouched down and clawed at the stems and was able to cut a few loose. He was a little surprised at how well it worked.

Simba started doing the same with a nearby Bird's Brandy plant that grew from the same patch. Once they had a good amount of the plant cut from the ground, they stopped. They hadn't picked all there was, because if they did, then there wouldn't be anything left to grow, and they might need this plant later. Or Rafiki might want some when the mandrill returned to the Pride Lands. Mikazo was sure that this territory must hold more than one patch of this plant. It seemed highly unlikely this was the only patch that grew in the Pride Lands. But he didn't see any nearby, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Maybe we should try to find the other plants you mentioned as well," Simba suggested. "It might help to have more than one kind of herb."

"Right," Mikazo agreed. He looked at the herbs laying at their paws. "I think I can pick them up." he said, a little doubtfully; the stems were very thin and short. He bent down and grabbed the thin stalks between his teeth, trying not to bite them in half as he did. They had picked a lot of herbs, but even so, there wasn't so much that they were difficult to carry.

"Just be careful not to swallow them," Simba cautioned.

Mikazo nodded. "Okay," he said through his mouthful of plants. He held them more carefully; he wouldn't want to waste any by accidentally swallowing them. As it was, he didn't think that this alone was enough for all the sick lions, so it probably was a good idea to go and find more of this and/or some of the other two plants that he knew of that might help with stomach aches.

With the first herb type found, they continued their search. Mikazo wanted to save the one that grew in river-beds for last, since he knew where to find that. He wanted to find the other plant first since he didn't know exactly where it grew. Though he was fairly sure that it grew in the grassland fields and while that knowledge of its general location was hardly exact, he also knew that the plant was pretty big, so he thought that it shouldn't be so hard to spot.

Eventually, they found it. Mikazo, through a mouthful of Bird's Brandy, managed to tell Simba that it was called a Cancer bush, according to Nuru. It was a thick, full bush, with many stems growing off of it in every direction. The many leaves on the stems were small and hairy, and red-orange flowers were scattered along the bush. Some of the stems were weighted heavily with large round seeds.

There was almost no end to stems they could take this time. But they still left a lot so they didn't damage the plant more than was necessary. Then they went toward the river to find the last herb, a Horsetail plant, with Simba carrying half of the stems they took with them.

The day was warm again, the hot dry sun continued to bake the ground and deplete the water sources. As they approached the river they could see that it was now a shadow of its former self.

"The dry season is lasting longer than usual," Simba remarked quietly through his own mouthful of healing plants. The lion's brow was furrowed with concern as he observed the low, sluggish river that should, by now, be threatening to burst over its edges.

They arrived at the bank and started walking along the side of it, scanning the grassy bank and the water flowing below for a sign of the plant. Simba knew this plant, he had seen Rafiki use it before, so he had more than just a description to go on while looking for it.

As Mikazo searched for the water-plant, he saw clearly what concerned Simba. The river water really was lower than was usual. In fact, in just the two and a half weeks since Mikazo arrived at Simba's pride, the river's flow had slowed. The level of the river had sunk drastically, as well. The formerly swift water was moving at a much slower pace, not much faster than Mikazo could trot. He could see the sand-bed beneath the silvery-blue water, and gray and brown pebbles dotted the sandy river-bed. River grass sprouted high out of the water that would normally have covered the tops of the plants.

The water wasn't dangerously low just yet, but it was worrisome to see how low it was getting. They really didn't need a drought on top of half the pride being sick.

The upside was that the lowered water level actually helped them in their search, since it made it easier to spot the thick patches of Horsetail plants growing in the water and hanging on to the grassy, sloping banks.

The plant was tall and most closely resembled long, green sticks. The stalks in the center of the patch grew almost completely straight up, while the stalks growing in the outer rim of the patch curved outward, then in. It had no stems leading off of it, and the stalk ended in a dull point.

"I'll go get them," Mikazo said, dropping the Bird's Brandy plants he was holding on a flattish gray rock next to the river. Then he stepped forward and carefully slid down the steep side of the bank toward the Horsetail stalks, landing with a small splash. He ended up knee deep in water that rushed around his paws, but as the water wasn't cold, he didn't mind very much.

He wondered for a moment how he could cut the stalks off without letting the current wash them away. Then, getting an idea, he gripped the tops of the plants in his jaws and sliced at the bottom of the stalks with his claws, cutting through them. When they came loose, they didn't wash away because he was gripping them in his mouth. He collected a few more Horsetail stalks using the same method, then took all of it back up the bank and to the rock where his other plants rested. His jaws were so full of Horsetail stalks that he could barely hold them, and he wasn't at all sure how he would pick up the other plants. He eyed the pile on the rock dubiously.

"I'll get them," Simba offered though the plants in his own jaws.

Though Simba was carrying a lot, there hadn't collected as many of the Bird's Brandy and Cancer bush plants as they had of the Horsetail plants, so Mikazo agreed. "Thanks," he said, his words muffled. Simba picked up the plant stalks laying on the rock and the two lions started back toward Pride Rock with their burden of healing herbs.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Once at Pride Rock again, Simba told Mikazo an idea he'd had; that since they had three kinds of herbs, they should give some of one kind to one group, another kind to another group, and the third to the final group. That way, they might be able to tell which species of plant worked best. If they needed to go out for more, they would know which ones were the most effective. Mikazo agreed, he thought it was a good idea.

They separated the plant stalks into three piles according to their species. Simba said that he would tend to the sickest of his pride; Kudura, Nyota, Kovu and Mwezi, while Mikazo could give herbs to those that weren't quite as sick.

Simba had one more idea. "Mikazo, when we give the herbs to the pride, I think we should act extremely positive about them. As in telling them that the herbs are really strong and a little bit goes a long way to healing them, and that they work really, really well and they'll be up on their paws in no time at all."

Mikazo was a little confused. "Why tell them that? Of course it might be true, but we don't know how well these plants will work yet."

"That's right, we don't," the king agreed. "But they don't know how well they'll work, either. If they think that these herbs will definitely help them get better fast, then it might actually help them get better fast." In response to Mikazo's still slightly confused look, Simba continued, "Thinking positively when you're sick or upset can really help you feel better, believe me. You may already know that I was raised for a lot of my cubhood by Timon and Pumbaa."

Mikazo nodded, and Simba went on. "They raised me with the philosophy of Hakuna Matata, which means "No worries". Hakuna Matata isn't exactly the same thing as thinking positively, but coming from that life philosophy, I learned that looking at things in a certain way can affect their outcome. It's as simple as thinking that you won't let being sick make you miserable."

"That makes sense," Mikazo agreed. "Okay, I'll be so positive while I give them herbs that I'll be getting on their nerves," he promised with a grin.

Simba twitched his whiskers in amusement. "You don't have to be quite that positive," he said. "Let's get going, then." He scooped up a little of each kind of herb and went to help his pride mates. Mikazo followed his lead, grabbing the remaining herbs and carrying them to the rest of the sick lions.

Mikazo took some of one kind of an herb to each lion. He and Simba both thought that it might be a bad idea to give any one lion several different kinds of herbs at once, in case mixing the plants could be harmful. Mikazo had explained that the plants had to be chewed in a different way according to their species. The Bird's Brandy and Cancer bush stalks had to be chewed until they were almost juice, but not chewed down to nothing, while the Horsetail stalks had to be chewed until they were a powder. Then the plants could be swallowed.

The sick lions looked no better than when Mikazo and Simba had left to find herbs. In fact, much to Mikazo's dismay, they looked like they were sicker than before. All of them were laying on the warm stones, resting. Some were sleeping and some were awake, but all looked tired and achy. Mikazo felt bad for the sick lions, and he hoped they got better as soon as was possible.

The lions accepted the herbs they were given to swallow in general good nature, though most of them gagged or complained a bit at the taste.

While Huni took her own herbs, Mikazo looked away from the tan lioness toward Simba. The red-maned lion was getting Kovu to swallow his portion. Kovu didn't look any happier than the other lions were at the taste of the plants. He made a face and gagged as he swallowed them. Then Kovu let out a visible sigh, put his head on his paws and closed his eyes to rest. Feeling a pang of sympathy at Kovu's obvious exhaustion, so much like the other lions who were sick, Mikazo hoped once again the herbs took effect quickly so everyone would soon feel better.

Mikazo padded back and forth between the sick lions, giving them the herbs and telling them the way to chew them, describing what he thought was the way to get the most out of the herbs.

After Huni took her herbs, he gave some to Vitani. The tawny lioness, normally so rough-edged and somewhat abrasive, simply looked relieved when Mikazo told her that the herbs would make her better and took them willingly.

Kimada was next.

"Hey, Kimada," he said as he trotted over to his friend, who lay sprawled near the edge of the promontory. "Simba and I went out and collected herbs to make you guys better." He dropped a small pile of Horsetail plant in front of the sun-colored lion, who blinked at the stalks and then gave him a strange look.

"You gathered herbs?"

Mikazo shrugged. "Rafiki wasn't here to do it." He nudged the herb pile closer to Kimada with a paw. "Eat these and they'll make you feel a lot better. You have to chew them until they're a powder, then swallow," he explained.

Kimada eyed the herbs doubtfully, then picked up the Horsetail stalks and began to chew. Almost instantly, he spat it back out. "That's disgusting!" he exclaimed, wrinkling his muzzle in an expression of extreme distaste.

Mikazo sighed. "Maybe, but it will make you feel better. Why'd you spit it out?"

Kimada shook his head. "I think I'd rather be sick than eat those," he said, glaring at the pile of herbs as though they had personally offended him.

"Kimada, they'll make you feel better," Mikazo repeated patiently.

"I still don't want to-" Kimada cut off his sentence with a pained groan and put a paw against his stomach. Mikazo could see that his friend was hurting.

"Alright!" Kimada said loudly. "Just give them to me. I'll close my eyes and pretend they're a juicy zebra." He picked up the herbs again and chewed them into a powder, then swallowed as fast as he possibly could. It was clear he didn't want the plant to be in his mouth for any longer than was necessary.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mikazo said teasingly.

Kimada stared at him. "No, not at all. Why don't you try some?"

"I think I'll pass." Mikazo nudged his friend with his head. "You'll feel better in no time," he assured him.

"If you say so. Right now, I just have a bad taste in my mouth on top of the rest," Kimada grumbled. Then he shrugged. "Still, herbs always work when Rafiki uses them."

"See you later, Kimada," Mikazo said. "I have to get these herbs to the rest."

"Alright. I'll be right here. Forever," Kimada sighed, once more resting his head on the sun-warmed stone.

Mikazo grinned and called out as he trotted off with what herbs he had left, "You'll be better in no time, stop feeling sorry for yourself!" He hoped his enthusiasm helped his friend and the other lions. Looking at them, he wasn't sure himself that simple plants could make these lions better. They just looked so sick.

Mikazo split the rest of his herbs between Kukimbia and Nala. When he was done, there were only a few plant stalks left.

He looked over to see Simba had finished giving out herbs as well, and he walked over to the king.

"Simba, I've finished giving out the herbs. Is there anything else I can do to help?" he asked. He wanted to be doing something to help the lions of this pride that had taken him in. Surely more could be done than just going out to collect herbs, though he didn't know what. If there was one thing Mikazo found more and more that he really hated, it was being unable to do much to help those he cared about when they needed help.

"Thank you, Mikazo. But at the moment, all we can do is wait for the herbs to take effect," Simba told him, and Mikazo sighed.

The two temporary healers glanced at the lions of Pride Rock. Most of the sick ones were sleeping, but neither lion could help smiling when they saw Timon and Pumbaa trying to cheer up a few of the lionesses who were awake. The warthog and meerkat were prancing around in front of them telling jokes.

Mikazo could see from his expression that Simba really loved these two strange animals that were part of his pride. They were certainly cheerful guys, and were doing what they could to help the situation. Mikazo couldn't help but laugh at their antics. Simba was a lucky king. He'd put together a truly admirable pride. And someday soon, Mikazo would do so, as well. He was lucky to have his own father and now Simba as role models. He hoped he'd make as great a king as his mentors were. Though his father was gone now, Hodari was still one of the most honorable lions Mikazo had ever known or heard of. He had been brave, loyal, and had always been kind to the members of his pride. And Mikazo couldn't imagine a more loving and playful father than Hodari had been. Then there was Simba. All of the things Mikazo had heard about the golden lion, from saving his pride from Scar and restoring the Pride Lands to their former glory after they had decayed under Scar's rule, to accepting the Outsiders into the pride after they had fought each other, not to mention all the things Mikazo had seen himself, all showed that Simba was a truly great king. He was a king to be admired for many reasons, of that much, Mikazo was positive.

Mikazo had long ago promised himself that when he became king of his pride he would do his very best to be to be the kind of ruler his pride mates deserved, and he was determined to keep that promise.

He watched Timon and Pumbaa telling jokes in the way only that pair could, which was highly entertaining. It seemed to be cheering up the sick lions. Mikazo wasn't old enough to have experienced much illness himself, but he had traveled alone and hungry for quite some time. Remembering those dark days now, he realized that the days he had felt hope had been the best days. And maybe laughter would help these lions remain hopeful that tomorrow would be a better day. It certainly couldn't hurt. And combined with the healing herbs, well, maybe it would be a winning combination.

Seeing movement in the Savannah, Mikazo trotted to the edge of Pride Rock's promontory to take a look. Heading toward the pride's home with their prey dragging alongside them was the hunting party that had gone out just before Mikazo and Simba left to collect herbs.

It looked as though the hunt had been successful. They were bringing in a pair of antelope. Though two antelope might not normally be enough to feed this large pride, it hadn't been very long since their last large meal so no one was particularly hungry. In fact, Mikazo wondered whether any of the sick lions would even care to try to eat. Simba's pride was very respectful of the laws of the Savannah. They didn't over-kill. He knew that if the two antelope didn't prove to be enough, another hunting party would soon be out gathering more prey.

Most of the hunting party stayed down at the bottom of the monolith, while one of the lionesses bounded up the path to Pride Rock. Mikazo watched as the lioness went to the sick lions. She asked them if they wanted any of the antelope. The response to that was a loud chorus of groans and moans, head shakes, and the like, making it clear none were feeling up to eating. The healthy lions, Mikazo and Simba included, went down to the bottom of Pride Rock to eat the antelope while the others stayed at the top to rest.

They quickly ate most of the antelope, leaving a little for the sick lions in case they felt well enough to eat something a little later. If they didn't, then the healthy lions would eventually finish off the prey so that it didn't go to waste.

When they were finished eating, Mikazo washed his muzzle clean, then looked up at the sky. The day was very nearly over now. The sky was a river of bright pinks and reds mixed with darkening blues and indigo. Stars would soon be out. In fact, he could already see a few early stars speckling the sky here and there.

Mikazo got to his paws in a stretch, then watched as a few of the lionesses padded up the path to Pride Rock's cave to sleep for the night. He decided rest could wait. As the sick animals needed care and Mikazo had given himself to the task, he wouldn't leave them to fend for themselves while he slept. Though as he looked over at an alert and worried Simba who was watching over the lions who lay ill on the rocks, Mikazo knew he wasn't the only one who'd be up tonight.

Simba turned to Mikazo. "Why don't you go to sleep as well," he suggested. "I'll stay up and watch over the others."

Mikazo briefly thought about that. It was probably true that just one of them staying up would be enough. "I can do that," he offered. "I don't mind staying up."

Simba smiled his gratitude. "I have an idea," he said. "I'll look after them for half the night, then wake you for the rest of the night."

"Okay, that'll work," Mikazo agreed.

"Hey, I want to help, too!" Kiara called as she trotted over to them. "I can take part of the watch."

"Alright," Simba said. "I'll take the first watch, then Mikazo will do the second, and you can take the third, Kiara. Will that work for both of you?"

"Yep!" Kiara said while Mikazo nodded.

"Okay, then. Better get to sleep, then," he told them. "You'll need your rest. I'll call you when it's your turn."

The three of them climbed up Pride Rock's path. When they reached the top, Mikazo saw that most of the lions had gone into the cave for the night, including some of the sick ones. The ones who hadn't looked like they planned to sleep out in the open rather than drag themselves into the cave. He could see that Kudura, Nyota and Mwezi were all sleeping outside tonight. They were among the sickest of the lions and Mikazo hoped that the fresh air outside the cave might help them feel better.

Leaving Simba at the mouth of the cave where the golden lion sat down to watch over his pride mates, Mikazo went inside to his sleeping spot by the ledge on the left side of the cave, and curled up with his tail wrapped around him and his head resting on his paws.

The lions around him were almost all asleep themselves. The cave was dotted with softly snoring piles of fur. A few minutes later, Mikazo was asleep as well.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

It had been two days since Simba and Mikazo had gone out to collect the herbs, and the lions who drank the contaminated water were beginning to recover. All the pride had been worried when the sickness had only gotten worse. A few of the lions had been so sick that for a horrible time they hadn't been at all sure they would pull through; the memory of the long hours spent by the side of those lions as they fought to remain alive made Simba shudder. But, thanks to the herbs, which seemed to work very well, and thanks to lots of rest, all of the ill lions were starting to look and feel better. They were still sick, there was no denying that, they were still tired and achy, but they were now able to walk around again and a few of the healthier ones were taking short walks into the grasslands.

That was the upside; the downside was that the illness that had struck the pride was apparently contagious, because now the rest of the pride who had been fine before were starting to get sick themselves.

Simba and Mikazo had recruited a few other lions to help collect herbs. After showing them the plants so they would know exactly what they look like, and after they had made sure the lions who were helping knew that the herbs they collected had to be that kind of plant exactly, they had told the herb collectors in what kind of area they could expect to find the herbs, what kind of area the herb usually grew in, as well as where the known patches grew. That way, maybe they would find patches of the plants that Simba and Mikazo may have overlooked in their search. The two lions were still going out regularly to pick herbs and bring them back to Pride Rock, though doing so was becoming harder for both as they themselves got sicker. The lionesses they had shown the herbs to were among the recovering lions, so now they were starting to take over the treks into the grasslands to collect the herbs.

Now, as early morning faded into full day, Simba was making the rounds, seeing how the members of his pride were faring. He was walking more slowly than he usually would, his movements marked by a certain stiffness that likewise plagued all the others who were sick. His stomach was starting to hurt and his muscles were all getting sore, but he pushed that aside as he checked on each of his pride mates.

The red-maned king had just finished speaking with Kovu. The recovering lion was almost back to full health and was nearly well enough to start resuming his usual duties, such as hunting and patrolling, but Simba had asked Kovu to rest for another day. He didn't want his son-in-law to push himself.

Having finished for the moment with checking up on his pride, Simba headed over to the edge of Pride Rock's promontory to sit and look out over the Savannah, glad for the opportunity to rest a bit. He hadn't been sitting for long when Nala walked up behind him, stopping at his side.

"Hey, Simba," she said gently.

"Hi, Nala. How are you feeling?" Simba asked.

"I'm fine, now. It's you I'm worried about." She sat down next to him, her brilliant blue eyes filled with concern for her mate.

"Me? I'm just fine, no need to worry." Simba grinned unconvincingly. It was obvious that he was getting sick like everyone else was. Nala could see that he didn't have much energy and his eyes weren't as bright as they normally were.

Nala sighed guiltily. "If I had known that water-borne sicknesses could be contagious, I wouldn't have let you take care of me. It just ended up getting you sick, too."

Simba smiled. "Do you really think knowing it was contagious would have stopped me from taking care of you?" He nuzzled her lovingly and said softly, "Believe me, it wouldn't have."

Nala nuzzled him back, her eyes closing as she brushed her cheek against his for a long moment. Simba's familiar warmth and scent was a comfort, though neither that nor his words dispelled her feeling of guilt entirely. She pulled back to look at him, meeting his gaze with worried eyes. "Simba, I heard you tell Kovu not to push himself even though he's nearly fully recovered. But you're sick and you still insist on taking care of everyone else. Why don't you just rest? I'm healthy enough now to watch over the others. And so are Vitani and Kudura."

"Nala, I'm not that sick-" Simba started to protest.

"Just get some sleep," Nala said firmly. "At the moment, everyone else is doing the same, so it won't hurt if you take a nap, will it?"

"Okay. I'll take a nap," Simba gave in. He supposed that she was right, he wouldn't be able to do anything for the rest of his pride at the moment. All of the lions had been given their herbs and all were resting, and he also knew that he, himself, needed rest if he was to recover and be any help at all.

"Good." Nala smiled, clearly relieved. "Did you take any herbs?"

Simba nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Alright." Nala laid down next to him and kept Simba company as he rested, staying by his side until he fell asleep. Then she got to her paws to check on the others.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo was sitting near the entrance of the cave when he saw Nala checking on her pride mates. She had just finished talking with Kiara, who was laying with her dozing cub, when she walked over to where Mikazo sat.

"Hello." Mikazo dipped his head. He was glad to see that the queen looked almost as healthy as she usually did. That was a relief.

"Mikazo," Nala said by way of greeting. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright." Mikazo shrugged. He was feeling almost okay right now, but he could feel the sickness coming on and he wasn't looking forward to it.

Nala smiled. "I wanted to say thanks for working so hard to help your adoptive pride, adoptive at least until you regain your own, that is, though we'd love for you to stay permanently."

Mikazo smiled at that. He was touched by Nala's words, and was still amazed at how well he had been accepted into Simba's pride. More and more, this pride was becoming important to him. "Anyone would have helped." He meant it. He didn't see how someone could possibly turn away from lions who needed help when they could give it. Mikazo glanced over at where Kiara and Daka lay, the cub curled up under his mother's chin. "How is Daka feeling?" he asked with concern.

Nala sighed and shook her head. "He's getting sick, as well."

"No..." Mikazo quietly moaned. He had hoped that Daka would be able to avoid the sickness that had nearly killed some of his pride mates. He wasn't sure how the young cub would do with an illness like that.

"Right now it's not that bad," Nala said reassuringly, though she looked worried as well. "His stomach is hurting a little. Hopefully that will be the worst of it."

Mikazo nodded in agreement. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Yes, you can rest. You're getting sick as well."

"Okay," Mikazo agreed. As much as he might like to, he didn't think it would do any good to argue. Nala looked determined to make sure everyone got better. Though when he woke up, he was going to get back to helping his friends.

"I have to check on the others, now. I'll visit with you later, Mikazo," Nala said. She trotted off.

"Bye." Mikazo rested on his side on the sun-warmed stone, letting the heat melt through his fur.

He looked at the lions around him. A few were on their paws and doing what they could to help; those were the ones who were almost completely better. But more of them lay resting and recovering, almost over the sickness but not yet at the point where they were well enough to easily walk about. Others were just starting to get sick. Mikazo himself could feel the sickness beginning to affect him, too, even though it wasn't serious yet. Kiara, Daka, Simba, they were all getting sick, and a few others, as well. Knowing how bad the sickness could be, Mikazo could only hope that they all got better quickly. He guessed it was going to be a couple more very long days.


	10. Memories

**Hi again! I hope you like this chapter. I had even more fun than usual writing this chapter. Not really sure why, but I did. I'll get the next one up as fast as I can. Thanks for sticking with me this far!**

When Mikazo blinked opened his eyes as he woke, he was surprised to see that it was morning. The pale pink sky was gradually brightening into a clear, soft blue. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep, intending to take only a short nap. But that had been in the daytime... early yesterday. It looked as though his nap had turned into a full night's sleep and then some.

Mikazo groaned, drawing his head in close to his body, as his stomach suddenly twisted painfully. His whole body was hot and aching and he felt nauseous. He realized the sickness had fully hit him now. Despite the long rest, he still felt tired, as well as shaky and weak, and decided not to get to his paws just yet.

Raising his head slowly and breathing shallowly, trying not to make himself feel more nauseous than he already did, Mikazo looked around Pride Rock. It looked the same as it had when he had fallen asleep; half of the lions lay sick and the other half looked tired from the sickness they were just now getting over. Most of them were resting as well.

He saw Kiara laying near the entrance to Pride Rock's cave. She was curled up in a ball with Daka huddled against her side. Mikazo was relieved to see that the cub seemed to be doing alright. He had his head up and was watching the other lions. Though he certainly didn't look to be his usual energetic self, he at least didn't look terribly sick. Kiara, on the other paw, was looking utterly miserable. She was near enough to Mikazo for him to see that her eyes were barely open and she was breathing fast. It worried Mikazo to see the normally enthusiastic lioness look so tired and weak. As sick as she was... He knew that she was in danger from this sickness. He really hoped that she'd feel better soon.

A few feet from the edge of Pride Rock lay Simba. The king was laying with his head on his paws, looking tired, sick, and slightly exasperated. When Mikazo looked a little more closely, he could see the reason for the exasperation. Zazu was perched by Simba's head, his wing tips crossed in front of him in a worried sort of way. The hornbill seemed to be talking rapidly. Tilting his ears toward the bird, Mikazo could hear what he said; "Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help, Simba? I could fetch water, some plants are quite absorbent, I could bring water up using them."

"That's alright, Zazu. I'm not thirsty at the moment," Simba told him.

"Well, if you're sure," Zazu said, pausing for a moment as he thought. "Well, then would you prefer it if I told you a story? I heard an excellent one the other day."

"You don't have to do that, Zazu," Simba assured him, trying to be polite. Zazu was trying to help, but it looked like Simba just wanted to sleep and recover. He looked as sick as everyone else was, and more so than some.

"Oh, I don't mind, Simba. It's no trouble at all!" Zazu launched into his story, obviously determined to try to make Simba feel better. Mikazo hoped it would work, though he thought that Simba just looked like he could use some sleep.

Mikazo turned his head at the sound of paw-steps approaching to see Kimada walk up next to him.

"Hey, Kimada." He was glad to see his friend looked like he was doing much better than before, even if he did still seem tired and less energetic than normal. Though there was none of the usual spring in his step, Kimada's tread was at least no longer a weary plod.

Kimada laid down next to him. "How are ya doing?" he asked.

Mikazo shrugged slightly, then winced when the movement sent a flash of pain through his sore body. "Not the best," he admitted with a sigh.

"I know how you feel. I was there," Kimada told him. "It gets better, though... after a while."

Mikazo groaned at that last part. "Thanks for that, Kimada," he said sarcastically.

"Any time." Kimada favored his friend with a small grin.

They both looked over at the sound of Simba's boisterous laughter. It sounded as if Zazu's story was cheering Simba up, after all. That was good to know. A few more moments passed as Mikazo and Kimada lay side by side, both of them resting as they listened to Zazu continue his story.

"Hey, Mikazo," Kimada suddenly said, his tone quiet, "I have to tell you about something."

Mikazo glanced over at his friend; Kimada's eyes were downcast, watching his paws. He looked preoccupied, as though something was bothering him. "What?" Mikazo asked, concerned.

"You know how Simba found me and brought me to his pride?"

Mikazo nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, there's more to the story than I told you. I never told anyone about this before, but I'd really like to talk with you about it." He drew in a breath. "It's just... it's been on my mind lately." Kimada smiled a little, then, turning his head to look over at Mikazo. "And if I'm gonna talk about it with anyone, why not my best friend?"

Mikazo nudged Kimada in a friendly way. "Okay, I'm all ears." He pricked his ears up to demonstrate that fact.

"Alright," Kimada continued, "like I said, there's more to the story than I told you at first. The rest's the same, though. Everything I told you happened like I said; my parents left their pride when they got together, and our family lived alone together on the Savannah. We had our own nice cave in a beautiful valley, like yours.

"I told you how they were attacked by a rogue who wanted to take my mother as his mate. Then Simba found me after the rogue killed them." Kimada paused. "The part I didn't tell you was that I wasn't an only cub; I had a litter-mate, my sister. Her name was Zawadi."

"You have a sister?" Mikazo asked in surprise. He'd never thought about the fact that Kimada might have any siblings.

Kimada cringed slightly, pain flashing through his blue eyes. "Yeah, I _did_. But the rogue killed her, too."

Now it was Mikazo's turn to cringe, horrified. Kimada's parents... and his sister? "I'm really sorry, Kimada," he said quietly as he put a paw on his friend's shoulder, hoping to give some comfort.

Kimada nodded. "Thanks," he replied. "My sister... She was the same age as me and we played together all the time. Zawadi was thin and short, like our mom, but she had a _big _personality." Kimada smiled at some memory. "Dad used to take us out to spend time with us. Sometimes he would take just one of us and sometimes both, then he would show us all sorts of cool places and play games with us. He was a great father. Mom came along sometimes, but she couldn't as much as she wanted to; she wasn't very healthy and couldn't walk around as easily as we could. Still, she played with us whenever she could."

"They sound like they were good parents," Mikazo commented.

"Yeah. They were." Kimada shook his head sadly, clearly missing his parents. "When the rogue attacked our father, Zawadi was with him. He had taken her out to play earlier that day. Then Mom went to help Dad fight the rogue and I followed. When I got there, my father was dead and my mother was fighting the rogue. I couldn't see any sign of Zawadi, I don't know what happened to her exactly. But the rogue killed my mother, tried to get to me and couldn't, then left. And then Simba found me and brought me here. You already know that part. I don't know what happened to my sister, but I hadn't seen any sign of her. I always wonder whether I should have told Simba when he found me but I was sort of scared of him then, and I can't imagine a way that she could have survived if my parents couldn't, so there wasn't much point."

Kimada closed his eyes briefly, then continued, "All I could do was cry and scream. Simba was really great putting up with me, now that I think about it. But my mind keeps going back to my sister, lately. Even if the rogue didn't kill her himself, we were out in the open with no mother, no food or protection, nothing." His voice trembled as he continued, "If Simba hadn't found me I would have died. And Simba didn't find Zawadi, so how could she have lived? Lately I wonder, I just don't know for sure if the rogue killed her, too. If not, then she probably starved. Would that have been better? I don't know. I don't know how she died. I don't even know _if _she died, not for sure, but I can't imagine how she would have lived. I never once thought she might have, but lately, I don't know, I just don't know what to think." By the end of this Kimada had tears streaking down his cheeks and muzzle, his head bowed.

"Kimada, I'm really sorry this happened," Mikazo said sincerely. He hated seeing his friend so sad, and the grief in Kimada's voice made Mikazo's own throat feel tight. "Thank you for telling me about all this. For trusting me enough to tell me all of this. It's really amazing that all that happened to you and you can still... function." Kimada shrugged slightly without lifting his head and Mikazo paused, then continued a little hesitantly, "Kimada, I know it's not the same, but... I would be proud to call you 'brother'. And would like it if you would consider calling me the same."

At that, Kimada looked up at him, his expression one of utter surprise. Then he grinned happily, his eyes brightening through their film of tears. "Brother," he agreed. The two lions bumped heads and Kimada grabbed Mikazo in a hug, throwing a paw around his shoulders. Mikazo hugged him back, trying not to choke from his friend's grip but grinning widely himself. He held on tightly for a moment before releasing his hold.

Then Mikazo, still sleepy and weak from the sickness, laid his head on the ground and closed his eyes. Kimada followed his lead and both lions drifted off to sleep next to their friend and new brother.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Nala was padding around Pride Rock, looking at her sick pride mates anxiously. She couldn't believe how awful they looked, laying prone, exhausted, many of them breathing far more shallowly than usual. She had been sick herself, but had she looked this bad? _Maybe_. She remembered with a grimace how she had felt when she was sick. But she, at least, had recovered. Some of her pride mates looked as if they might not do the same. Her heart clenched in fear as she looked at her daughter. Kiara was one of the sickest, one who might not survive.

Nala looked Kiara over carefully. She lay curled in a ball with an awake and alert Daka sprawled against her side. Nala looked with fondness at her son-in-law, Kovu. He lay with his head on his paws, facing the sleeping Kiara. His eyes, which were fixed on his mate's face, were glinting with worry and fear of loss. Nala was just as worried about Kiara. She was afraid to even think of her cub not making it. But Kiara would pull through. She had never been one to give up, no matter how bad things seemed.

Nala smiled slightly, thinking of how adventurous Kiara had always been as a cub. She still was, as a matter of fact. Nala remembered when Kiara was a very young cub and had just began to walk, how determined she had been to explore every nook and cranny of her home. By the end of the day, she had gotten under the paws of and tripped over the tail of perhaps every lion who lived at Pride Rock, and not one of them had minded one bit. And as soon as she was allowed to go out into the Pride Lands for the first time she had been darting through every patch of grass and trying to climb every rock, no matter how big it was. Both Nala and Simba had been there with their daughter to watch her explore the Pride Lands, to enjoy watching as their daughter saw the world beyond her home in Pride Rock. And, of course, to keep her out of trouble. That had been surprisingly difficult to do, considering Kiara had been a quarter of their size at the time.

When Kiara had gone on her first hunt Nala had been so proud, though the hunt had nearly ended in disaster with that fire. It had blazed across the Pride Lands, consuming the grasslands and endangering the life of every animal in the path of those deadly flames; including Nala's young daughter.

Nala had found out later, as Kovu told their family the whole story, that that fire had been set deliberately as part of the plot devised by Kovu's mother, Zira. The plan, they had learned, had been to stage a 'fire rescue', one where Kovu would rescue Kiara from the grassland fire in order to gain the trust of the Pride Landers, so that he could be allowed among them and eventually find an opportunity to attack and kill Simba. This was, of course, a plan that had began with Zira's desire to take revenge against Simba, revenge for the death of Simba's uncle Scar, who had been Zira's mate.

Kovu had clearly been ashamed when he had told them the truth of that plan, and beyond apologetic. Though they had been shocked, horrified, and angered by the fact Kovu had in fact plotted against Simba, that he and his mother had caused a fire that could easily have claimed the lives of countless animals, Kiara's included, a fire that had also devastated a good portion of the Pride Lands, Nala and Simba had still forgiven the young lion who had gained their daughter's love. Whatever his original plan had been, Kovu had, in the end, proven himself worthy of that love and of their trust by turning away from the dark path his mother had set out for him, by choosing a path of his own. The path Zira would have had Kovu walk had been one of murder, blood and revenge; the path Kovu chose for himself was one where he was accepted, loved, and trusted, one where his future was bright and hopeful and where his paws were unstained by the blood of innocent lions.

Here in the Pride Lands, Kovu had a family who cared deeply about him; he had his sister, Vitani, as he'd had since he and Vitani had both been cubs, he had both Simba and Nala, who had grown quite fond of him as they'd got to know him, and he had Kiara and, now, their young son Daka, both of whom loved him unconditionally. One day, Kovu and Kiara would succeed Simba and Nala as king and queen of the Pride Lands, and Nala fully expected that they would both be rulers to be proud of when that day came. It was truly a far cry from the life Kovu would have led had he followed his mother's plan.

Kovu's past was a dark one, there was no denying that, but his present was anything but. Nala was quite proud of her son-in-law for being strong enough to turn away from Zira's plan, for being true to himself and who he really was, who he wanted to be, rather than what his mother had tried to make him into. And Nala knew just how much Kovu loved Kiara, how deeply he respected and cared for Kiara; and so even if there had been nothing else in Kovu's favor, for that reason even if there had been no other, she was glad that Kovu was in their lives.

As for the fire rescue, Nala would always be grateful to Kovu for saving Kiara that day, whatever his motives for doing so had been at the time. Though of course she was glad that Kovu had disobeyed his mother's wish- or perhaps command was the better word- that he murder Simba. Nala would have hated to have had to hurt the young brown-furred lion who was now her son-in-law. Though she definitely wouldn't have felt any reluctance to attack him if he had killed Simba, or even simply dared to try.

She was very glad and deeply relieved that Kovu was safely recovered from the sickness that had now struck their pride. For a while it had looked bad. But he had recovered. _And so will Kiara. _Nala wondered if repeating that thought often enough might make it happen. It had to happen, she had to recover. She couldn't bear to lose Kiara.

She looked at her daughter again. Kiara's side moved up and down quickly but fairly evenly as she slept. At her side, Kovu and Daka still lay awake, both of them, at least, not looking horribly sick, and both clearly concerned for the well-being of their mate and mother. Kiara would be well watched over while Nala made the rounds, she knew. And at least for now, Kiara was sleeping deeply. Hopefully that sleep would help her fight the sickness.

Satisfied that Kiara was alright for the moment, Nala left her to rest and continued checking on the others, doing what she could to make sure her pride mates got through this.

Some of the Pride Landers were dealing with the sickness well, not able to get up and walk around but still not as sick as some of the others were. Nala was worried for the pride mates that she spent every day with, talking with them and hunting alongside them. She hoped very much that not one of her pride would be lost to this sickness.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

In the field near Pride Rock, the jackals crept silently forward, their lithe forms little more than shadows slipping through the grass as they each chose a vantage point from which to watch Simba's pride. Once they were all in a satisfactory position, the jackals crouched low to the ground. They scanned the pride's home carefully, eyes sharp and focused.

The leader of the jackal pack, a female named Erevu, watched Pride Rock most carefully of them all. Her nose twitched as she smelled the sickness coming from the lions who lived there. At that scent, the scent of weakness, of vulnerability, the skin on her narrow muzzle curled back to bare her wickedly sharp fangs and a growl of anticipation rumbled in her chest.

She looked back at her pack mates, who crouched along the ridge behind her. This pack was made up of black-backed jackals, numbering seventeen members, counting herself. The midnight-black hair covering their backs and tail-tips was streaked with bright silver. The rest of their pelts were either the color of sand or a glowing tawny. Sixteen jackals waited on the ridge behind her, all of them healthy and strong, all of them ready and more than willing to fight, and all of them absolutely obedient to her every word and decision.

Erevu, her own sand-colored coat gleaming in the sunlight over her thin but muscled form, tossed her head back and let out a sharp, commanding yip to call one of her pack to her.

Another yip answered quickly, and the owner of the voice walked up to her, stopping slightly behind her to show respect for the leader of the pack. This jackal was a bright tawny male.

"Yes, Erevu?" the jackal asked with his head lowered and ears tipped back deferentially, dark brown eyes meeting hers for the briefest moment before his gaze dropped downward.

"Good job, Nyonge," she said with a slight nod to her pack mate. "Your famous nose hasn't let us down yet, there is sickness here, just as you thought." Erevu turned back toward Pride Rock, her bright amber eyes gleaming with excitement and a vicious grin spreading across her muzzle. "Simba's pride is weak today, they will not stand a chance!" she snarled.

Simba and his lions had been trying to stop the pack from hunting as much as they wanted to, saying that the pack was over-hunting, that they were taking more than they needed. Erevu snorted scornfully at the thought. Over-hunting! They might not be hunting prey just to eat, they might be hunting more than they needed to sustain them, which the oh so lofty lions insisted was against the laws of the Savannah, but Erevu and her pack were hunting for the sport of it, and Simba had no right to try to stop them.

Well, Simba wouldn't be a problem for much longer. Erevu and her pack had always loved to challenge themselves, and a lion pride as big as this one, even if they were sick, was just perfect for a good fight. The lions would be their prey and they would be famous as the jackals who had defeated Simba's pride!

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Nala had just finished talking with one of her pride mates. She had left the lioness alone to sleep when her ill friend had nearly drifted off in the middle of their short conversation. That lioness was, thankfully, not as sick as some of the others, but she still needed her rest.

Nala weaved around and in-between her pride mates that were laying scattered around in loose groups on the large, warm rock that jutted from their cave. She was doing her best not to step on anyone's tail. Since half the pride was sick, they had all laid down in front of the cave entrance or nearby it, having decided not to drag themselves to their favorite lounging areas. Nala understood. She'd felt better out in the warm sun with a fresh breeze flowing over her while she'd been sick just days before. The other half of the pride either lay resting and regaining their health, or doing the same as she was, walking around and trying not to disturb the sick lions.

As she looked around her pride again, her eyes settled on Simba. Her mate was asleep now. Zazu was perched just next to Simba, watching over him and occasionally glancing at the lions around them. Nala gave the Majordomo a grateful smile, though she was too far away to speak to the bird and didn't want to call over to him as it might wake the sleeping lions. Zazu seemed to have understood, because he just dipped his head in response.

Nala was glad to see that everyone, the lions, Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu, were all helping out their sick friends, though the warthog and meerkat team were currently resting from a long night of entertaining. They had a good pride, a strong pride. They'd recover from this quickly, she was sure.

She looked at Simba again. He was laying still, his head placed on his fore-paws. He looked like he was going to be asleep for a while. Nala was glad; it would help him get better more quickly. Simba was very sick. Much more so than were most of the others, possibly because he'd been trying to help his pride mates get better and doing very little resting himself. He had exhausted himself, and Nala had began to worry that if he didn't taken a proper rest soon he would quite literally collapse. She was glad he'd finally given in to the inevitable and was fast asleep.

Any time Nala had seen him on his paws and trying to help the others she had sent him back to his resting place. He usually listened, though he had often as not stayed up a while longer to make sure everyone else was comfortable and had what they needed. The last few hours or so, however, he had been resting more and more. Nala knew that this wasn't from choice but rather from necessity. Simba was simply getting too sick to do anything more than rest, which worried Nala quite a bit. She counted him along with the others she was most concerned about, alongside her daughter who was so very sick. She didn't want to even imagine being without either of them.

She and Simba had been best friends since cub hood- she still counted him as her closest friend, in fact- and they had been mates for years. She remembered when they had been going to the Elephant Graveyard as cubs; an exploration of a graveyard that had looked like a fun adventure but had nearly gotten both of them killed. They'd been trying to figure out a way to sneak away from Zazu, who had been their babysitter, their escort, and as both cubs had thought at the time, a bird whose entire reason for existing had seemed to be to stop them from having fun. Though both Simba and Nala had since changed their minds about Zazu and now considered him a friend, at the time he had been driving them crazy.

Then of course, before they could put their plan into effect and sneak away to the Elephant Graveyard, Zazu, having seen them whispering to each other as they plotted and, unable to hear what they were talking about, having jumped to conclusions, had told them that as per tradition, they'd been betrothed since birth. Both cubs had at the time been completely disgusted; they were each other's best friend and getting married to each other was something gross, disturbing, and all around _wrong_. Nala chuckled slightly. Obviously she and Simba had changed their minds on that one, once they'd grown up.

Back then, however, Simba had said, and to young Nala's complete agreement, that when he became king that tradition would be the first thing to go. As it turned out, Simba had been as good as his word on that tradition. When he had taken his pride back from Scar and become king of Pride Lands, he had gotten rid of it immediately. Then, before anyone could react, he had asked Nala to be his mate. He'd repealed that law first so that Nala would know that he wasn't asking her to be his mate because the law said he had to, but that he was asking her to be his mate because he loved her. And he did love her, as much as she loved him. Their marriage was a good one. Nala couldn't help smiling at the memory of their betrothal and of Simba's proposal.

Simba had been her playmate since they'd been only a few weeks old, as soon as they had been able to walk and run. They had played together every day. Nala couldn't remember a time when Simba hadn't been by her side. Not counting, of course, the time when Scar had been king and they had all thought Simba was dead. She shivered with the memory of how Scar had stood on the rock above them, giving his speech of false grief over Mufasa's and Simba's deaths.

Then Scar had allowed the hyenas to come, swarming over Pride Rock, their many shadows thrown onto the stone wall behind them, their laughing barks echoing hollowly throughout the land. Nala had been just a cub then, and deeply shocked and grieved by the news of King Mufasa's death. And, she believed, that of her best friend. She had been as horrified as the rest of the pride when they found that the hyenas were to be allowed in the Pride Lands. More horrifying than even that, those mangy creatures were to be allowed to live at Pride Rock! Enemies of lions living in their home!

The days after that had been especially hard ones for the pride. They didn't know what to expect from the hyenas, or, for that matter, from Scar. He had allowed the enemy of lions, a creature that preys on their cubs, to live among them. There was no telling what he would do next. Scar was an instantly unpopular king, at least among half of the pride. The other half, Zira chief among them, were a different story. The ones who didn't want Scar for a king were quietly outraged by the other lionesses' loyalty to the black-maned lion.

A few of the ones who missed Mufasa's reign the most, including Nala, had been suspicious of Scar's story. Something about it just didn't seem to fully add up. Simba had been out in the gorge and the wildebeest had stampeded for no discernible reason. Scar had gone to get Mufasa, having known that Simba was in the gorge. In itself, that wasn't very incriminating. But Mufasa, Scar and Zazu had all gone to save Simba. Then Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and Zazu had been knocked unconscious. The bird reported that something had smashed him into a rock, but he didn't see what it was. Scar had come back with Zazu following and had told the pride the horrible news, and despite his words of grief, Scar had seemed only too eager to take the throne. All these things added up to make a suspicious story. Some of the lionesses had wondered if Scar could have had anything to do with the deaths of their king and prince. But the thought was so terrible that none wanted to really consider it. As well, they had no proof.

Nala could clearly remember how protective her mother, Sarafina, had been during that terrible time. She had told her mother about the hyenas trying to eat her and Simba in the Elephant Graveyard, and Sarafina had been worried that they might try again. She'd kept Nala close by her side, not letting her wonder off on her own. Not that Nala had been much inclined to do so. She'd been afraid of going out by herself with hyenas all around her. Being just a cub, she would have been easy prey for the brainless beasts. And Sarafina hadn't been willing to take the chance that Scar wouldn't prevent the hyenas from eating Nala.

Besides the fear of becoming prey, which was always something to worry about when you were a cub during Scar's reign, Nala had been in no mood to go exploring. Simba, her best friend, was gone. She wouldn't ever be able to go along with another one of his plans that almost always got them into trouble, but were so much fun anyway. She wouldn't ever be able to pin him to the ground again and again like she had done many times a day in the past. They had always explored _together_. So Nala hadn't tried to go exploring. She had stuck close to her mother, and Sarafina had done her best to never let a hyena come anywhere near her young daughter. It had been hard work for her mother because the hyenas had been everywhere in the Pride Lands.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Erevu stood watching the tan and brown shapes that were the lions of Simba's pride milling around on Pride Rock. She noticed that most of the lions lay motionless on the ground, presumably resting to recover from the sickness. She let out a sharp bark of laughter. They didn't realize it yet, but they would never get the chance to recover. She and her friends would kill all of them long before the sickness ended.

Her pack mates stood around her, almost completely hidden in the tall grass, and ready to attack at her command. Erevu knew, however, that not every lion at Pride Rock was sick. They would have to wait for the healthy ones to leave, perhaps on a hunt, before they could attack. When the lions left, they would likely leave a few behind to care for and to guard the sick ones, but Erevu was confident her pack could handle two or three healthy lions, perhaps even more.

_Now, _Erevu thought as she crouched low, her white-furred belly brushing the ground beneath her, _we just have to wait for the right moment to strike. _

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Nala continued her slow walk amongst her ill pride mates, remembering what Scar's reign had been like. During that time the one thing that had comforted her was that the lionesses who were unhappy with Scar never stopped treating Sarabi, Simba's mother and Mufasa's mate, as though she were still queen. Though they had never done so blatantly while in front of Scar, they had always treated Sarabi with respect. Their reasons for that were obvious. Sarabi had never stopped acting like a queen. Regal and kind, she had done her best to help her pride mates throughout Scar's rule. She had eaten less so that her pride mates, especially the old ones and the young ones, such as Nala, would be able to eat more. Most of the prey they caught was eaten by Scar and the hyenas. He had let the lionesses who were loyal to him eat more than the rest of them, but those who were not as fond of him were left with little. Nala had been amazed by how brave Sarabi had been, and how loyal she was to her pride mates. The former queen had believed that her mate and son were dead, that she was now both a widow and childless on top of all the rest that was happening around her, yet she hadn't given in to her grief. She had fought for her pride in the only way that she could.

Nala could remember when she first learned to hunt. By that time, it had seemed as if the Great Kings of the Past had forsaken them. The land had begun to lose its life. The grass and trees were dying and the river had begun to dry up. More and more animals had started to leave the Pride Lands because of its barren state. It had been hard to learn how to hunt because they had to travel long and far across the Pride Lands before they found any prey at all. Then when they did come across prey they had to catch it and bring it home only to have it eaten by Scar and his followers. The hunters had not gotten much of their own prey. And all the while, their home was getting worse and worse.

The Pride Lands had gone from their lush, beautiful home of greens, yellows and blues to a land dominated by grays and blacks, dead, leafless trees and the skeletons of countless animals. The river had dried up, leaving nothing but a cracked and dusty river-bed, slashed like a deep wound in the dry ground, where water had once flowed freely. It had been horrible to watch, and the king had done nothing to alleviate the hardships.

Nala remembered how awful it had been when Zazu had been trapped in that ribcage and made to sing for Scar's entertainment. There had been nothing they could do to help him.

She remembered how the despair and hopelessness had finally gotten to be too much. If no hope existed in the Pride Lands anymore, then Nala vowed would find some and bring it back. She'd told Sarabi of her plan to leave and look for help, help that would save her home, save her family. Sarabi had agreed. Sarabi would have gone herself, but as it was, she was the one keeping half the pride together. She'd known that if she left, Scar would take it out on the other lionesses. So instead, Sarabi had helped Nala prepare for her journey, telling her of a few places where she might be able to find help. Nala had agreed to go to those places and Sarabi wished her luck.

Nala thought about how, before she'd left the Pride Lands, she'd gone to tell her mother what she was going to do, and to say good-bye for now. Sarafina had been very upset at the idea of parting with her daughter, but had understood why Nala had to do it. She'd tearfully hugged her daughter, told her to be careful and said good-bye. Then, with both reluctance to leave the only home she'd known and with determination to make the journey to save it, Nala had left the Pride Lands without Scar's knowledge.

She had traveled across the desert that stretched long and wide outside the Pride Lands' borders, and arrived in a beautiful jungle. Nala had been so happy to see the color green again that all she'd wanted to do was roll around in it for days. Even better, the jungle was filled with sparkling blue streams, lakes and rivers, even a few waterfalls.

Nala had been hungry and was hunting for prey when she came upon the warthog, Pumbaa. She felt bad now about nearly eating him, but as it led to her reuniting with Simba, and that to saving her pride from Scar, she couldn't really regret it too much. Though of course she had long since apologized to Pumbaa.

She had been so surprised when her headlong rush at the plump warthog had been stopped by an attacking lion. She had fought back instinctively. She hadn't known why this lion attacked her, she just knew there was no way she was going to lose. And then the lion had recognized her signature flipping move, and told her that he was her long lost, thought to be dead playmate, Simba. She thought fondly of her joy at seeing him again. To find him alive after all that time had made her giddy with happiness and relief. It was a little strange that he'd grown up with a meerkat and a warthog, but Nala only thought of that later. She had just been so happy to see Simba again.

Nala thought about the moment when it first occurred to her that because he was alive, he was the rightful king, not Scar. She hadn't understood why Simba hadn't wanted to be king, which was a completely different attitude from the one he'd had as a cub, but in that moment was too concerned with seeing him alive again to wonder about it too much. That had come later on, after Simba had shown her around his jungle home. It truly was a beautiful place.

She chuckled to herself. Like most lions, Nala didn't like water, so she was a little surprised when Simba jumped into that lake, then pulled her into it, too! Though pushing him back into it had been a fun moment for her. They had run through the jungle, jumping and wrestling like they had done as cubs, and they had fallen in love.

Then there was that awful fight. Nala had been so confused and angry when Simba had refused to go back to the Pride Lands and stop Scar, to save their home and pride. She hadn't understood why he would act like that and he wouldn't explain. So he'd stalked away, leaving Nala to wander around the jungle for a while, walking to work off her anger. When she tried to find Simba again to convince him that he had to go back, she hadn't been able to find him.

She'd gone to find Timon and Pumbaa, when, much to her surprise, Rafiki had appeared to tell them that Simba had decided to go back to challenge Scar! Nala had once again been thrilled. Now that she thought about it, that night had just been filled with emotional ups and downs. Though perhaps that was to be expected, given the circumstances.

Then, of course, she had caught up to Simba just as he came within sight of Pride Rock. His utter shock and horror at the sight of his old home had clearly shown in his handsome features. She agreed completely. Having just come from that lush and gorgeous jungle it had been even more shocking to see the Pride Lands' barren state, even though she knew what it had become. She had then been glad to see Simba's two friends, and now her friends as well, had come to help him take back his kingdom, leaving behind their jungle to do what they could to help Simba. Timon and Pumbaa obviously cared very much for the lion they had practically raised.

Nala rested then, laying down with her head on her paws. From here she could see all of the lions of the pride, keep an eye on all of them. Her mind returned to the day they'd reclaimed the Pride Lands.

After they were safely passed the hyenas who had been all around Pride Rock thanks to Timon and Pumbaa distracting them, Simba and Nala had split up; Simba planning to find Scar while Nala had gone to rally the lionesses of their pride. When she had found the lionesses and told them what had happened, they'd followed her to confront Scar. They had all been deeply shocked as well as thrilled at the news of Simba's survival, but they had taken it in surprisingly quickly, racing to face Scar almost as soon as she told them. They had been as overjoyed at the thought of dethroning Scar as she had been, and of the rightful king of the Pride Lands regaining his throne.

As Nala was gathering the others, she'd found out that Zira and the other lionesses loyal to Scar had left the Pride Lands soon after she had. They'd gone on a hunting trip that led outside the Pride Lands' borders, hoping to find food and water out there. Zira, of course, would not normally have gone along to hunt- it was more of her style to let others do her work while she told them what to do- but the brown-furred lioness had been as hungry as anyone else.

Nala and the lions who'd gathered with her to assist Simba had raced to the top of Pride Rock together. There they found Simba angrily facing Scar... and Sarabi laying on the ground hurt. This had infuriated them and made them all the more determined to get rid of Scar. It was obviously Scar who had struck their pride mate and friend, who else would have done it?

Then Scar, though obviously flustered and frightened, had recovered from his shock and turned the situation around. He'd started taunting Simba about Mufasa's death, saying that Simba hadn't told his 'little secret' to Nala and the others. When Nala thought about that now, she wished that she had been the one to toss him to the hyenas. It was so cruel of him to do that to Simba. But, of course, being Scar, cruel had been his usual personality. At the time, however, she had just been confused, not knowing what Scar was getting at.

Then he had accused Simba of being a murderer, of killing his own father. Nala and the rest of the pride, especially Sarabi, had been horrified, refusing to believe that Simba had done that. Nala had known, though, that Simba spoke the truth when he'd said that it had been an accident, that he was not a murderer. If he had caused Mufasa's death, then it had certainly been an accident. Simba would never have intentionally killed his father. But thankfully, Simba held no blame whatsoever for Mufasa's death, if you don't count trusting that your uncle won't try to kill you and your father. And what cub would suspect that? Really, what adult would suspect that?

Nala remembered her terror when Scar and his hoard of hyenas had backed Simba to the edge of Pride Rock's promontory. The lion she loved, the one meant to save them all, had slipped off. He'd only just managed to hold on to the edge, dangling above the drop. She hadn't been able to believe it when lightning struck at that moment, setting the Pride Lands ablaze beneath and around their stone home, the dried brush burning rapidly, the hot flames reaching hungrily toward the stars. If Simba had fallen then, he would have been in for a very nasty death, indeed. But Scar had whispered something to Simba then, something that the rest of them hadn't been able to hear and that had completely enraged Simba. In that moment, Simba had somehow found purchase against the hard rock with his back paws, and leapt onto the ledge, knocking down Scar and holding him there. The whole pride had been surprised when Simba then furiously accused Scar of being a murderer.

Then Scar, pinned to the ground with Simba's paws against his throat, had admitted that he had killed Mufasa, confirming the suspicions they had had but hadn't wanted to believe. They had known then that Scar had killed their king, his own brother, so that he could have the throne. The pride had leapt forward with growls of rage, knocking the attacking hyenas off of Simba and starting the fight that had decided the fate of the pride.

Nala had seen Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki all helping fight the hyenas; they had done quite well, too.

She, herself, had fought hyena after hyena alongside her pride mates. And she had seen Simba follow Scar to the top of Pride Rock, intent on a confrontation that Scar was clearly desperate to avoid. A short time after that, the hyenas had stopped fighting and gone down to the bottom of Pride Rock. That was when she heard Scar's terrified cries echoing around them, as his own followers had killed the dark lion themselves.

Simba had later explained to her that Scar had betrayed the hyenas, so they got revenge. Nala guessed that the news of Scar's betrayal had passed quickly from hyena to hyena, which would explain why they all stopped fighting to deal with Scar. Simba also told her that he tossed Scar away from him and off of the edge of Pride Rock using her flipping move. That had made her feel good, though he still could never pin her using that move; after all, it is _her_ move.

The storm clouds had broken just then, and the rain poured down. It had been as if the Great Kings of the Past were showing their happiness at the turn of events. The rain put out the fire and soaked the land as Simba roared to claim his kingdom and his throne. Nala had roared in return with the rest of the lionesses of his pride, gladly accepting his leadership. After that, the hyenas had simply left the Pride Lands.

Simba had then explained the full story to Nala, Sarabi, and the rest of the pride, filling in the missing gaps; of how Scar must have set up the wildebeest stampede that had killed Mufasa, how he had convinced Simba, his nephew who had just been a cub, that he had caused the death of his own father. They were told of how Scar had then told Simba to run; to run away and never return, and Simba, horrified and grieving, had done just as he was told. Timon and Pumbaa had then found Simba and rescued him, Simba explained, and raised him in the jungle. Then of course, he and Nala had been reunited years later, and the rest they knew.

Timon and Pumbaa had stayed with the Pride Landers, as neither of them had wanted to leave without Simba. It was clear to everyone that Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa were as close as family members to each other, and the meerkat and warthog had been gladly accepted into the pride.

Zira and her lioness group had come back from their trip soon after Scar was dethroned. Zira had been furious at the news of her mate's death, and wasn't afraid to show it. Simba, however, had allowed Zira and her cubs, Nuka, Kovu and Vitani, to stay in the Pride Lands along with the other lionesses who had sided with Scar, believing that they deserved a chance.

With deep sadness she reflected on this. This kindness had later proven to be a mistake that had had horrible consequences. Zira had killed their dear son, Kopa, so that Kovu, the cub who, along with his sister, Vitani, she'd had with a rogue lion near the very end of Scar's reign, could be king instead. That Simba had banished Zira after that was little consolation. She was glad, though, that Zira was gone. Simba had banished her and later the evil lioness had fallen into that river. Nala would never stop missing sweet little Kopa, and hoped that her son was happy in his place in the stars.

She thought back to when they had first dethroned Scar. It had taken several seasons for the Pride Lands to fully recover. The storm that came during the fight had helped, but much more had been needed. Seeds from plants outside the Pride Lands' borders blew in and began to take root, and, slowly but steadily, the Pride Lands had begun to heal. The land had turned from dull grays and deep blacks to brilliant greens and bright blues, which is as it should be. As it did, animals had begun to return. Herds of elephant, zebra, gazelle, and many others, animals such as cheetahs and leopards, and flocks of all feathers had returned to the land they had been forced to abandon during Scar's reign, as word of Scar's defeat and of the healing land spread. And the Pride Lands had flourished once more. Fortunately, the rainy season was a good one that year and the seasons that followed had brought forth much abundance once again.

Nala looked around her pride again, breaking out of her thoughts. Most of the lions around her lay sleeping or simply resting, while others watched over their pride mates. Nala knew that her pride had gone through much hardship, but they had also survived it all. They would pull through this sickness like they had pulled through so much else. Her pride was strong. They had survived Scar's cruelty and treachery; they had triumphed over Zira's all-consuming hatred for them. They would certainly be able to beat this sickness.

Nala would do everything she could to get her pride mates through it and knew they would do the same.

She glanced out into the Pride Lands, seeing the many herds milling about across the sprawling lands. It was about time to go hunting again. They would need more food soon. Nala decided that she would lead the hunting party this time. She got to her paws and started to gather lionesses for the trip.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo was awakened by a paw prodding his side lightly. "Hey, buddy, wake up."

Mikazo opened his eyes sleepily. "What's up, Kimada?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Just wanted to tell you that a hunting party's going out and I'm going with them," Kimada said. "If you need anything, just ask Mganga." He gestured with his muzzle toward a tan lioness who was talking to a gathering of lions, presumably the hunters who were about to leave. "She's staying behind to help if anybody needs it."

"Okay," Mikazo agreed. He scanned the hunters to see who was going. Nala was in it and was probably leading it. Also in it were Kovu, Vitani, Nyota, Mwezi, Kukimbia, Huni, Kudura and, of course, Kimada was going. It was a large hunting party, but that made sense. With the pride being so sick, there hadn't been much chance to go hunting. Now the healthier lions were going out to get some much needed prey. Though as before half the pride was still sick, just now it was the other half. They really could use the prey. The hunters were going out anyway and leaving someone behind to watch over their sick friends. "Good luck on the hunt," he told Kimada.

"Thanks. Get better quickly!" Kimada trotted off to join the departing hunters, and Mikazo rested his head on his paws, still tired, and watched as the hunters went down the stone path.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Erevu watched with narrowed eyes as the hunting party of lions left Pride Rock and padded into the Savannah. The size of the group indicated that they had left minimal defenses behind. This was even better than she thought it would be! Now they just had to wait until the hunting party was far enough away from their home that the calls of the other lions wouldn't bring them running back. Soon, they would destroy half of Simba's pride. With that done, they would pick off the others one at a time whenever the lions were by themselves.

With a snarl of excitement, Erevu pressed her sharp black claws into the ground and tore up the grass in one quick movement, leaving long scars in the hard-packed earth.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo drowsily looked at the lions around him; most were still sleeping. He saw Timon and Pumbaa walk past as they left Pride Rock for the Savannah. He could hear the duo arguing about where they would look for bugs; a place with lots of hard-shelled crunchy ones, or a area with a lot of thick, slimy ones. Mikazo quickly tuned them out and swallowed hard as his unsteady stomach rolled.

He turned his gaze to the other lions once more. Mganga, the lioness who had stayed to watch over them, was walking among them and checking to see how they were feeling and if they had taken their herbs. She was obviously taking her responsibility as caretaker very seriously. Mikazo was glad that he had already taken herbs recently; he didn't like the thought of eating any more of them anytime soon. Kimada and the others hadn't been kidding when they said the herbs tasted disgusting.

He watched as Mganga checked on Simba and then walked on to the next lion. When it was Mikazo's turn, he assured the lioness that he just needed rest and had already taken his herbs, then watched as she trotted on. When she had made sure everyone was alright for the moment, Mganga sat down near the path to the Savannah, where she could watch for the returning hunters and keep an eye on the sick lions as well.

Mikazo settled more comfortably against the warm stone, buried his muzzle under a paw and closed his eyes again, deciding to get some sleep.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Erevu waited tensely until the hunting party had been gone for a while. At the speed they had been traveling, they were almost certainly now out of earshot. Now was the time to attack.

"Let's go!" Erevu called. Behind her, the pack let out a series of yips, barks and excited howls, calling out their excitement without being loud enough to alert the sick lions. Erevu let out a growl filled with anticipation as she and her pack crept ever closer to Pride Rock.


	11. Trouble on the Homefront

**Hi everyone! Thanks for waiting a little longer than usual while I found the best way to tell this tale. This chapter was difficult to write and I don't think that I'll ever be satisfied with it, but I hope you enjoy it as it is. I'm hard at work on the next chapter. Gotta get these lions back to good health!**

"_Jackals!_"

The terrified yell snapped Mikazo awake instantly. His head jerked up in alarm and he looked in the direction of the shout, toward the path that led down from Pride Rock to the Savannah. He shot to his paws as he saw Mganga bravely facing a snarling horde of black-backed jackals at the path's peak, her claws out and standing in between them and her pride. It was she who had called the warning to the pride.

The tops of the jackals pointed ears only came half way up Mganga's legs, but there were so many! With half the pride out on a hunt, the remaining lions were outnumbered nearly two to one. By the way that the fur on Mganga's back stood up, it was clear she was frightened, yet she didn't back away from the jackals. She stood her ground as the only line of defense between the ill lions and the jackals.

Before anyone could move, the jackals leapt forward as a group, deep growls ripping from their throats, and Mganga disappeared under the snapping jaws and swiping claws. The air was filled with the howling, barking and yipping of the jackals interspersed with Mganga's screams of pain and rage. Underneath those chilling sounds, there were worse ones; the sound of tearing fur and of body meeting stone as Mganga fell to the ground.

"No!" Mikazo looked to the side to see Simba leaping at the viciously attacking creatures, propelling himself through the air in a desperate lunge. The rest of his pride stood frozen in shock and horror. Mikazo himself was stunned, unable to move for a moment, surprised by the suddenness of the jackals' strike. Simba landed next to the group of jackals and swatted two of them off of Mganga, whose screams, Mikazo realized in horror, had stopped. The jackals broke away from their attack and faced the Lion King. The pack was now eerily silent, glaring at the lions with lips pulled back from their curved teeth.

Mikazo saw that Mganga was laying on the ground, unmoving, the kind of utter stillness that sent an instinctive shiver down his spine. _Maybe she's just stunned, _he silently hoped, though from the marks he could see on her stomach and neck, that was unlikely.

When the pride saw their downed friend they let out growls of rage that rippled throughout the pride, punctuated by a furious roar from Simba. As one, the pride got to their paws despite their sickness and the weakness that accompanied it, energized by righteous fury on behalf of their pride mate and ready to attack should Simba give the signal.

The king glanced up overhead, where a frantic-looking Zazu hovered high enough that a jackal couldn't reach him with a leap. "Zazu, go and bring back the hunters! Tell them what is happening! Hurry!" Simba called urgently. Mikazo watched the red-billed hornbill streak away in the direction the hunters had gone, his beating wings a blur. With his heart thundering in his chest and his muscles held so tense he was shaking, Mikazo hoped that they got back very soon.

A sand-colored she-jackal broke free from her comrades and bounded forward to land in front of Simba, glaring into Simba's eyes with her head raised arrogantly and her expression disdainful. It was clear that this jackal was the leader of her pack come to challenge the leader of their pride. Simba bared his teeth. Mikazo quickly jumped to stand by his side, facing the jackals with bristling fur.

"Erevu!" the king growled angrily. "What are you doing back here? Last week we saw you off the Pride Lands, you agreed never to return. It seems over hunting is the least of your sins!" Simba let out a snarl.

"Perhaps it is, but it's too late now for her, isn't it?" The jackal named Erevu jerked her narrow muzzle at the motionless form of Mganga. "Just as it's too late for all of your pride." She growled deeply, amber eyes glinting with cruelty and blood-lust as she crouched to attack.

At that, Simba leapt at Erevu with another roar, who dodged his attack with incredible speed and threw herself at his chest. An instant later, Mikazo tackled the closest jackal, a whirlwind of teeth and fur. The rest of the jackals leapt toward the other lions and Pride Rock was suddenly a vicious torrent of sound, claws and teeth.

_How could this be happening? _Mikazo thought in disbelief as he and the others battled attacker after attacker. Snarls, barks and howls tore through the air like claws, and blended with the roars and growls of the enraged pride. Mikazo had never heard such a barrage of noise; it was so loud that it was painful, even though he had his ears flattened against his head, both for protection against the jackals' claws and to try and block out some of the bloodcurdling sound.

As a tawny-furred jackal leapt at him he instinctively whipped to the side and knocked it away with a fore-paw, his claws fully extended. He quickly looked around, trying to see what was happening to the others, but he couldn't make out much of anything among the whirling colors of tawny, sand, white and brown. A jackal slammed into his side and he growled as its sharp claws scraped through his pelt. The jackal had latched onto his side, snapping and biting, and he couldn't toss it off, despite twisting and whipping from side to side.

Finally he grabbed the jackal's back in his jaws and yanked it off of him, wincing from the wounds it left as he ripped it free and then tossed it away. These jackals were completely vicious! How could the lions who were so sick win this? His own strength was severely depleted. But from what he could make out, the other lions were certainly going to try, no matter how exhausted they all were. And he was going to do the same. These lions had allowed him, a lion driven from his pride, and so a rogue, to stay with them, to sleep in their cave and eat the food they caught. More than that, they had befriended him; they had accepted him as if he were one of their own, trusting him to help on their hunts and to help take care of their sick. They had even trusted him to play with Daka, the cub of their princess! And they were teaching him to fight so he could regain his own pride. Well, fight he would. There was no way Mikazo was going to let anything happen to the lions of Simba's pride if he could help it.

With a threatening snarl, Mikazo lunged at a jackal as it loped past, slicing at its legs with his claws. The jackal nimbly jumped straight up to dodge the blows, then darted under Mikazo's paws, snapping at his underbelly as it did. Mikazo reared to avoid the attack and the jackal aimed instead for one of his hind paws, snapping its teeth closed on his ankle.

Mikazo yelped and fell to the ground, his leg giving out, and rolled with the jackal as it tore at his ankle, its teeth easily getting through his fur to the skin below. He slammed a paw down on its black and silver back hard enough that it yelped from the pain and released his leg, collapsing and falling limp. Then Mikazo lunged on top of the stunned jackal and finished it off with a powerful bite to the neck, jerking his head to the side as he did so to end it quickly.

As he got to his paws, trying not to put too much weight on his injured ankle, he looked at the battle around him and quickly got his bearings. The lions and jackals were fighting viciously, some of the battles going dangerously close to the edge of Pride Rock, lion and jackal alike in danger of plunging off the side.

He saw one lioness fall to the ground, landing hard on her back, as two jackals attacked her. Before he could leap to help though, another lioness dove forward, hooked one of the jackals with her paw and flung it off of her friend, who scrambled to her paws and starting fighting again, though she was clearly hurt.

Mikazo attacked a nearby jackal, lunging at it and swiping a clawed paw toward its neck. The jackal swiftly rolled to dodge and propelled itself at his stomach. Mikazo growled in pain as its teeth sank into his side and he dropped to the ground to crush the jackal between him and the stone. It let go immediately, whimpering from the impact against the stone, and he leapt on top of it, pinning it to the ground.

"I'm not going to let you destroy Simba's pride!" he snarled at the jackal as it struggled to get free, its tail lashing. He was about to kill it when two more jackals crashed into his side and made him loose his grip on the pinned jackal, who instantly shot away, disappearing into the chaos of the battle.

Mikazo staggered, his paws slipping out from under him, as one of the jackals who'd tackled him bit painfully at his fore-legs and the other leapt onto his neck. Mikazo fell onto his side with the jackals on top of him. The one on his neck sliced with all four sets of its claws, scrabbling at his mane as he struggled to get to his paws. Then it bit down, its teeth making it through the not yet thick mane to his throat.

He felt the sharp teeth start to sink in, and the jackal whipped its head to the side with its teeth still closed on his neck; a savage flash of pain pierced Mikazo. "No!" he yelled, and frantically jerked his head back, clawing the jackal off of him with a fore-paw before it could finish its killing move. Then he kicked the other off of his fore-leg with both hind-paws.

He stumbled to his paws, gasping. He could tell that the bite on his neck was bad. It hurt terribly, and he could feel the blood soaking through his mane and chest fur. But the bite was not bad enough that he had to stop fighting, or at least he hoped so, because now was no time to just stand around. He'd get killed for sure, and he had to help the others.

A jackal leapt at him and Mikazo reared on his hind paws then swatted the jackal out of the air before it could reach him. It fell to the ground in a skid and Mikazo watched in surprise as the sand-colored jackal slipped off the side of Pride Rock's promontory and fell to the ground below with a high-pitched, terrified yowl that cut off with chilling suddenness. He hadn't realized how close he was to the drop and was glad he had not met the same fate. Though the fight was still going on. There was plenty of time for that to happen, he reminded himself grimly as he met the attack of yet another jackal.

He knew that had the lions all been healthy, they likely would have already defeated the jackals. But sick as they were, they were weakened severely and all they seemed to be able to do was hold their own against the savage animals.

As Mikazo fought, he was glad of all that play-fighting with Daka. The jackals were around the same size as the cub, though much faster and certainly more vicious. These jackals most definitely fought to kill. Despite that, Mikazo was able to use some of the strategies he used to fight with Daka on the jackals. It was working quite well, though Mikazo still had to fight as hard as he could to keep the jackals from killing him, instead.

As he ran back into the fray, Mikazo caught a glimpse of Simba in the center of the battle. The king, despite how sick he was, and despite the many wounds that covered his chest, legs, and shoulders, was fighting strongly, tossing away any jackals that leapt for him and mortally injuring a few of them. Mikazo recognized Erevu as the sand-colored jackal lunged at Simba, leaping through the air, and Simba spun to face her once more, teeth bared in challenge.

He hoped that Simba would be able to beat the leader of the jackals quickly and without further injury to himself. It sure looked as though Simba was not going to stop until he won. The red-maned lion was weaving, dodging, slashing and biting with great speed.

Mikazo soon lost sight of the fighting lion and jackal in the confusion of the battle, but seeing how hard Simba was fighting had made Mikazo even more determined. He was going do his best to make sure that Simba's efforts, and those of the king's pride mates, were not in vain.

Pausing for a brief moment to take a breath after tearing a particularly vicious jackal off an injured lioness, Mikazo looked around at the battle raging around him. To his horrified dismay, it was clear that the jackals now had the upper paw. The fighting was tiring out the lions who were already weak from sickness. And the jackals had the advantage of both health and numbers.

Mikazo glanced toward the grasslands. Where were the others? How long had the battle been going on anyway? It felt like hours, but he knew it had really only been a few minutes. He jumped to the side as a lioness and jackal went rolling by, locked jaw to jaw as they snapped at each other, their snarls lost among all the others. And he bounded back into the battle.

Mikazo could feel his energy failing him more and more as he fought, slowing his attacks and causing him to get injured far more often. The wounds he had gotten earlier weren't getting any less painful, either. His neck and legs throbbed and he was starting to feel dizzy. But there was simply no way he was going to give up, or try and rest. He wouldn't let these jackals continue to hurt his friends.

He glanced around again, but he couldn't see Simba anywhere. He tried not to worry about that. Even sick, the mighty king wasn't going to be beaten by a cocky jackal, even if she was the leader of her pack. The lionesses around him fought bravely, though many were stumbling on their paws from a combination of sickness and injury.

He reared and fell back as a jackal leapt at him. The illness that wracked his body was making it hard to move, causing him to pause briefly between battles. The other lions were doing the same. They were all just so sick. The only one who was healthy had been killed immediately, which was surely the way the jackals had planned it. As he fell onto his back, he kicked the leaping jackal over his head, causing it to skid down the stone path that led to Pride Rock, bumping against rocks as it went. That was kinda cool, if he did say so for himself.

Rolling to his paws, he flung himself at a nearby jackal who was lunging at a lioness. He was glad to see that this jackal already looked worse for wear, as though it was getting tired too. Still, it had far more energy than he did, and dodged his first attack easily. Then it whipped along next to him and leapt at his side. Mikazo jumped away but couldn't dodge entirely and the jackal's curved teeth closed tightly on his tail. Mikazo let out a rumbling growl as he wrenched his tail free, the jackal's teeth scraping it more as it slid from its jaws.

Mikazo tackled the jackal, swiping his claws along its side. The jackal yelped and pulled back, its eyes closing as it staggered. Then Mikazo snapped at it, trying to catch its ear between his teeth. Recovering quickly, the jackal dodged the attack and launched itself upward, landing on Mikazo's shoulder and biting down near his neck. Feeling a jolt of panic as its teeth snapped close to his neck wound, Mikazo dropped to the ground and rolled in an attempt to throw the jackal off. It finally let go when Mikazo jumped up suddenly in mid-roll, twisting to toss it from him. The jackal was flung free. It landed on its paws, its claws scraping harshly against the stone as it tried to regain its balance. Then it spun around and raced off to another part of the battle.

Mikazo ran deeper into the mass of fighting lions and jackals, trying to see how the others were faring while searching for yet another jackal to attack. He saw that all of the lions were badly injured, their pelts marked heavily by wounds that stained their fur red, making it hard to recognize individuals underneath the blood and wounds. Still, they fought, determined to defeat the jackals who had dared to attack their pride, attack while they were sick and weakened!

Despite their resolve, Mikazo wasn't sure how much longer any of them could hold out. He, himself, was panting hard, the breath scraping painfully through his injured throat. The dizziness was getting worse as well. He wasn't sure what was causing that. Loss of blood, maybe? It didn't matter right now. Picking out another jackal to attack, he leapt forward and clawed with both fore-paws at its neck. The jackal ducked under the attack and leapt onto Mikazo's chest, clawing and biting. Mikazo grabbed the jackal by its tail, biting hard to get a firm grip, and flung it away from him. It fell into another part of the battle, disappearing into the mass of fur and claws.

Then a terrified cry rose above the clamor of the battle, the sound filled with horror, and Mikazo recognized Kiara's voice; "The cave, they're going into the cave! I put Daka in there! I thought he'd be safe!"

A cold feeling of horror gripped Mikazo as he looked around for Kiara. He spotted the golden lioness frantically trying to fight her way toward the entrance of the cave, but it was obvious that she was so weak from the sickness and her injuries that she couldn't get through the jackals that attacked her. He remembered how sick she'd been before the attack, unable to even lift her head. They hadn't been sure she'd live. She must be running on pure adrenaline right now.

Daka was alone in that cave, and there were jackals in there, Kiara had said... The little cub wouldn't stand a chance by himself.

With his heart in his throat, Mikazo raced toward the cave, looking around as he dodged the battles around him. All the other lions were fighting with one or two jackals; they couldn't break away to answer Kiara's call. Mikazo saw Simba try to skirt around Erevu to get to the entrance of the cave, obviously having heard his daughter's yell, but the leader of the jackals blocked every attempt and then lunged at his neck, forcing him to fight to keep her from taking out his throat. Mikazo was on his own.

He burst out of the fray and skidded into the cave; immediately he spotted two jackals looking around, standing a short way from the entrance. It didn't seem like they knew that Daka was in there, more like they had just gone to look to see if anyone was hiding inside Pride Rock. The jackals spun around, fur bristling threateningly, as Mikazo arrived in the cave.

"_Daka!_" he heard Kiara yell again from outside, panic for her cub clear in her voice.

"Mom?" Mikazo looked up at a stone ledge high above the floor of the cave; Daka stood on the edge of it, looking toward the mouth of the cave fearfully. Mikazo guessed Kiara had put her son high on that ledge in the hopes that the jackals wouldn't see him, and if they did, wouldn't be able to climb up there. The two jackals whipped their heads toward the sound of Daka's voice at the same time Mikazo did and they started growling hungrily. "Mom!" Daka yelled again. And Mikazo saw with horror that the cub was gathering himself to leap to the ground.

"Daka, no! Stay there!" Mikazo ordered desperately. But the cub was clearly too worried about his mother to heed the warning. Daka landed on the ground and flung himself toward the mouth of the cave, trying to get to his mother. As he did, the two jackals who were still standing there, growling at Daka, launched themselves at the cub and Mikazo leapt forward, spurred by fear for his young friend.

One of the jackals snapped its jaws next to Daka's head as the cub jumped back in terror, his red-brown eyes open wide and a gasp tearing from his muzzle as the pointed teeth just missed him. Mikazo swiped him out of the air and tossed the cub lightly toward the back of the cave and behind himself. He was now between Daka and the jackals. "Stay back there and don't move, Daka! Your mother's alright!" Mikazo sincerely hoped this was true.

"I'll take care of both of you," he growled viciously at the pair of jackals, daring them to even try to get to the cub.

Both jackals lunged at him. Mikazo clawed one away from him but felt the other sink its teeth into his hind leg. Roaring in pain, he rolled to toss the jackal off just as the other one jumped deftly onto his chest. Their snarls and barks were loud and echoed strangely in the confines of the cave.

Deciding to use the cave's rocky walls to his advantage, Mikazo lunged to the side, slamming the jackal that held his hind leg in its jaws against the hard stone wall. Thankfully, it worked and the jackal let go, yowling as it did. The other one tumbled along with the first, having been caught in its path as it was tossed into the wall.

For a split second, Mikazo couldn't move from place as he leaned against the stone wall; exhausted and in pain, he nearly slid down to the ground. Jerking back from the wall and shaking his head, trying to focus again, Mikazo felt his legs shake under him, feeling as though they were about to collapse. He was weak, injured and sick. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. But he wasn't going to let these jackals hurt Daka, no matter what happened to him.

As the two jackals, clearly hurt but not yet out, jumped toward him again, he leapt sideways to avoid them. Mikazo saw a flash of golden fur as Kiara ran into the cave. He flinched at the sight of the lioness; she was staggering on her paws and her body was littered with painful looking cuts and bites as she frantically looked around for any sign of her son. He wasn't sure if she was even well enough to walk right now. He _was _sure that it wasn't a good idea for her to continue fighting. Mikazo quickly darted in between Kiara and the two jackals; he couldn't let her get hurt any more than she already was.

"Kiara!" he yelled without looking away from his two opponents. "Daka is in the back!" Kiara immediately raced toward the back of the cave, ignoring her wounds, and Mikazo could hear Daka calling out as he saw his mother.

Mikazo rolled with the jackals as they tackled him. He kicked one off and heard it yelp as it again hit the rough stone side of the cave. He quickly grabbed the jackal that still held onto him by its neck as it yowled and thrashed and tossed it away. After tumbling across the ground and landing in a heap, it pushed itself back to its paws. Teeth marks were crisscrossing its neck and it was holding itself awkwardly, with one paw lifted gingerly off of the ground. Its ears were flattened to its skull as it shot him a furious glare, but instead of attacking, it turned and sprinted away from him and out of the cave, limping as it tried for a fast pace.

Heaving himself back up as well, Mikazo looked up in time to see the remaining jackal, the one that he'd thrown against the wall, race back toward Kiara and Daka. The jackal was hurt but its stride was almost unaffected, it hadn't hit the wall very hard.

Mikazo ran after the tawny animal as it lunged at Kiara, who stood stiffly with Daka huddled, terrified, beneath her stomach. The lioness growled, a deeply violent sound that Mikazo would have been shocked to hear the normally gentle and exuberant Kiara make had she not been defending her son, and swiped a paw at the jackal, successfully knocking it away. Normally she would have been able to defeat the jackal, Mikazo was sure, but the swipe was weakened by pain and sickness and the jackal rolled with the blow, ending up a few feet from the bright-furred lioness. The jackal rolled straight onto its paws and leapt with a snarl at Kiara again, who seemed to be at the end of her strength. She dropped to the ground and curled around Daka, folding herself completely over him and protecting her son with her body.

Before the jackal could land on top of Kiara, Mikazo jumped forward and knocked it out of the air and to the stone floor. It jerked away before he could pin it, and slammed into his fore-leg, biting down and wrenching its head to the side. Roaring in pain and anger, Mikazo used his other paw to knock his attacker off of him, then pinned it to the ground before it could move. He slashed downward with a fore-paw and the jackal's terrified cackling was cut off abruptly as it went still.

Mikazo stumbled away from the motionless jackal, struggling to remain standing as his legs shook and his sides heaved. He looked toward Daka and Kiara through bleary eyes, thankful beyond words that Daka appeared to be alright. He prayed that Kiara would be alright as well. The jackal hadn't gotten to them. That was good.

At that moment, he heard a lioness yell from outside the cave, relief easy to hear in her voice, "The others are back! They're here!"

The others? The rest of the pride! It must be. They were back. Mikazo staggered to the side as the cave spun around him. He slammed against the ground without even having noticed that his legs were giving out. That was strange. Mikazo shook his head to clear his vision, but the blackness that was clouding it wouldn't fade. In fact, it just got worse, pulsing darker, brighter and then darker again.

Knowing he'd done his best and help had arrived, he let himself go. He didn't even feel it when his head hit the stone and the darkness overtook him.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Kimada raced up the path to Pride Rock with the rest of the hunters and Zazu alongside him and Nala in the lead. As they approached, he stared at the turmoil of fighting lions and jackals in horror. They had been able to hear the battle from quite a while away as they raced back, but this was different than just hearing the yowls and roars, growls and barks. Hearing from Zazu that the jackals were attacking and seeing it were two very different things. They'd come running faster than Kimada knew he could run when Zazu flew at them shrieking that the pride was under attack. Now that they'd arrived at Pride Rock, he could see that several of his pride mates lay still on the ground, their fur bloodied and torn. Whether they were dead or had just collapsed he couldn't tell, but either possibility was awful.

A lioness from somewhere inside the fray saw the hunting party approach and yelled to the rest of the pride, "The others are back! They're here!" As the call rippled throughout the battle, the jackals stopped fighting, looked at each other with panic in their eyes, and broke away from the lions, dodging their claws and bites. Kimada recognized Erevu as she spun on her hind paws and sprinted away from Simba. He had met the leader of the jackal pack a little over a week ago when he had gone with Simba and a few others of their pride to confront the jackals for their over-hunting. Erevu's sand-colored coat was stained with scarlet, but she seemed determined to escape as the arriving lions ran to help their pride mates.

"Retreat!" Erevu barked furiously to the rest of her pack as she shot down the slope, slipping past the lions without looking to see if her remaining pack mates followed. A few of the lions, Kimada included, lunged at the jackals as they passed, trying to stop them from getting away. But the black-backed jackals were too swift in their panic as they escaped down the slope and into the grasslands.

A few of the newly-arrived lions turned to give chase, but stopped as Nala called out to her group, "Wait! We must tend to our pride mates before we hunt down the jackals." Kimada understood that, he wanted to help his pride mates first. But when he got his paws on those jackals...

The returning lions got to the top of the slope and started looking around at their pride mates with stunned horror. Most lay resting or unconscious; others sat watching them, looking exhausted, sick, and hurt.

The group gasped as one when they saw Mganga laying nearby. Her tan fur was ripped and almost completely hidden under her own blood, which also soaked the stone all around her. It was easy to see that their pride mate was dead.

"No!" Nala said in a voice that was somewhere between a growl of rage and a sob of grief, her cry blending with several others of the returning hunters.

"Mganga..." Kudura said sadly, tears beginning to streak down her face.

Most of the lions of their pride could be found here outside the cave, but there were a few they couldn't yet account for. Kimada noticed that though he'd spotted Simba briefly as they'd arrived, their king was no longer among those who sat and lay around the promontory.

"Where are Kiara and Daka?" Kovu asked anxiously, clearly worried for his mate and son. Though he, too, was staring in horror at their lost pride mate.

Nala turned quickly to their group, tears in her bright blue eyes. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Kovu, take Mganga's body to the back of the cave so that scavengers won't get to her. We will bury her after we have tended to the wounded." Kimada could understand that. If they didn't do what they could for the hurt lions now, they would certainly have to bury more of their pride mates besides Mganga. Nala kept speaking, "Find out where the others are. While you are in the cave, see if any are there."

Kovu nodded and dipped his head to grip Mganga's ravaged scruff, then gently drug her into the cave.

Nala addressed the remaining lions in the group. "I'm going to ask several of you to go out into the Pride Lands to collect healing supplies. But be careful. If you see the jackals, get out of sight, don't confront them. We'll deal with them later. After our pride mates are out of danger."

The group nodded in agreement and Nala quickly began giving out instructions. "Kukimbia, you are the fastest runner in our pride," Nala said. "Go and collect some moss for their wounds. We need to stem the blood flow as soon as possible. Head south. Cobwebs work well to stop bleeding, too, bring back any you find." With a hasty nod, the sand-colored lioness turned and shot back down the slope.

"Nyota, you go collect moss as well, for water. You know that moss we have been using to gather water while we've been sick? The absorbent kind?" Nyota nodded her understanding quickly. "Good, go get some, but go east," Nala told her. The silvery-tan lioness ran off nearly as fast as Kukimbia was going, fueled by panic for her friends.

"Huni, Mwezi, you two go and collect some horsetail stalks- that plant is the closest one to Pride Rock. They are still sick and will need it," Nala continued. The two lionesses ran back down the slope, their legs a blur.

Kimada stood with Kudura and Vitani, what remained of their hunting party now that the others had been assigned tasks. "What can we do?" he asked, not wanting to just stand around when his friends were so badly hurt.

"We have to see what we can do for the injured right now, even if we don't have supplies yet," Nala answered, walking quickly into the group of sick and now injured lions.

They hadn't gone far when Kovu called out from inside the cave; "Daka is alright and Simba is helping Kiara, but Mikazo is hurt badly!" Kimada froze at the sound of Kovu's panicked voice, his heart dropping like a stone.

"Vitani, Kudura, do what you can for the others," Nala told them quickly, her tone strained. "Let's go, Kimada." Kimada raced toward the entrance of the cave with Nala at his side.

As he ran he was thinking that Mikazo had to be okay. They had just become brothers. Mikazo couldn't die now.

They bounded into the cave and the first thing Kimada saw was Kiara laying on the ground near the back wall. She looked weak and tired, and her golden coat was sporting several wounds; some of them quite deep. She was conscious, but just barely so, her eyes half-closed with exhaustion. Simba was standing next to her, licking his daughter's wounds clean, though the king's legs were shaking with the effort it took to remain standing. Just like Kiara, Simba had been very sick and in danger of dying _before _the jackals attacked, and it was clear that he was now at the edge of collapse. Daka trotted quick circles around his mother and grandfather, his tail whipping back and forth and his eyes wide with worry, though the cub was mercifully unharmed.

Kovu stood nearby, just off to Kiara, Daka, and Simba's sides. He was hovering over an unconscious Mikazo, whose light brown coat was almost hidden beneath the blood that stained it. Indeed, the cream-colored fur on his chest was completely obscured by the thick scarlet liquid, and his deep brown mane was streaked heavily with it. Feeling terror for his friend jolt through him, Kimada raced over to Mikazo.

As Simba worked to help his daughter, he called instructions over to Kovu, who was tending to Mikazo's injuries. "Try to clean his other wounds, but keep a paw pressed on that one on his neck! The bleeding has to be stopped immediately. He saved my family," the last, he delivered in a fierce whisper.

Kimada turned toward Kovu. "Let me do it. He's my brother!" he said desperately.

Kovu gave Kimada a strange look, obviously confused about that last part. As far as he knew, Kimada and Mikazo weren't brothers. Kimada didn't bother to explain though, he could do that later.

The dark-maned lion then looked questioningly toward Simba, who nodded quickly. Kovu stepped back, not moving his paw that was pressed down on the bite on Mikazo's neck until Kimada was able to take his place. Kimada held his paw tightly against the wound in Mikazo's neck, trying to stop the bleeding as Kovu moved back. Mikazo's mane felt sticky and hot beneath his paw-pad, drenched as it was with blood, and Kimada swallowed roughly at the feeling.

"I'll go and help the others," Kovu said, though he shot a worried look at Kiara, clearly reluctant to let her out of his sight. Kimada watched as Kovu hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Simba again as he stood over his daughter, obviously realizing that Kiara was as well taken care of as she could be right now. Giving Daka's head a quick lick of affection and comfort, Kovu bounded outside to help Vitani and Kudura take care of the others as best as they could while they waited for the rest of the hunting party to come back with the healing supplies.

Nala ran over to Simba, Kiara and Daka, giving all three relieved nuzzles. Kimada listened to them as he started cleaning the deep wounds on Mikazo's side and shoulders while keeping pressure on his neck injury. His friend's side was moving up and down so slowly and slightly that Kimada didn't immediately notice it, then sighed in relief when he did. Mikazo was still breathing. He was utterly motionless and unresponsive, but he was still breathing.

"Mom," Kiara greeted Nala weakly, clearly about to pass out.

"I sent some of the others to collect moss and herbs for the bleeding and for the sickness, they'll be back soon," Nala said reassuringly, giving Kiara another nuzzle while being careful not to brush against her wounds. "Simba, you need to rest. Lay down and I'll take over," she added with a concerned glace at her mate, who was swaying on the spot.

Simba nodded weakly, so worn out that he agreed easily. "I'm so glad you made it. I'll help in a few minutes; I just need to catch my breath." Simba tried to lay down and almost fell down instead. Either way, he was resting. Within moments Simba had fallen asleep.

Nala shook her head fondly at Simba and started working to clean Kiara's wounds and stop the bleeding. The golden lioness had also fallen into a deep sleep.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

For the next few hours Kimada and his friends worked as hard as they could to save their pride mates' lives. They cleaned wounds, packed the moss against the injuries to stem the blood flow, gave the hurt lions water-soaked moss to drink from, and made sure they ate the herbs that would help them fight the sickness. They tended to the injured lions right where they'd collapsed. Moving them would have put them at more risk by reopening wounds.

At some point, as Kimada wandered back and forth between the cave and the promontory doing what he could do for the sick lions, he noticed that Timon and Pumbaa had returned from their bug gathering expedition. Apparently, once they heard what had happened, they pitched in to help. Although brushing the injured lions' fur using a spiky branch was, perhaps, not as helpful as the duo intended it to be. It did offer comfort, and that was important, too.

Kimada sighed as he returned to Mikazo's side. He had been on his paws for hours and needed to rest for a moment. He sat down and glanced at his friend. Mikazo was still unconscious, though he looked a little better now that the excess blood had been cleaned from his coat. Mikazo's wounds were clotted with blood, and moss had been pressed against them to help with this. It worked well because the moss stuck to the clotted blood on the wounds. This helped to keep the injuries from bleeding anymore, and also helped to keep dirt from getting into the cuts and bites. Though the bleeding had been mostly stopped and his injuries had been treated as well as was possible without Rafiki around to do it, Mikazo was still in very bad shape.

Kimada laid his head down and silently hoped that all of his friends, Mikazo and all his injured pride mates, would make it through this.


	12. Ill Winds Blow

**I offer no excuses for the length of time it took me to finish this, just apologies. Thank you especially to all those who've stayed with me from the beginning and I'm thrilled to see some new readers, too. I reply to every signed review, but since I can't do that for the ones who aren't signed in, and especially to Starzinmieyez, whose review got me writing again when I was slacking, I'll say it here. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy.**

Simba lay on his stomach with his eyes half-closed, resting but keeping watch over his pride mates at the same time. Nala was sleeping beside him. The beautiful lioness was exhausted from a long day of tending to all the injured lions while still being somewhat weak from her own bout with the illness.

The other lions of the pride were resting, as well, all of them laying inside Pride Rock's cave where they would be safest should the jackals decide to return and attack again. That was unlikely at the moment, but none of them were willing to take any chances while they were weak and vulnerable. The jackal pack was unpredictable. The lions with the worst injuries had been carefully moved one by one into the cave, while the ones who could walk had made their own way in. Then the uninjured lions had continued doing what they could for their friends' wounds, trying to keep the wounds clean and keep them from reopening; that part hadn't been too hard as the injured lions just wanted to rest and recover. Once the makeshift healers had done all they were able to, they too, rested.

Timon and Pumbaa also lay nearby, leaning up against a wall of the cave, the meerkat snoozing on the warthog's back, curled in a ball. Simba could hear Pumbaa talking in his sleep every now and then, saying, as was usual for his warthog friend, "Grubs, grubs, grubs, grubs, grubs." It was nice to know that some things never changed. Comforting, in a way.

Seeing movement at the mouth of the cave, Simba raised his head and drew in a breath, almost calling out a warning to his pride mates. He'd been so jumpy since the attack that he was seeing threats to his pride everywhere. Two lookouts had been placed outside to warn the pride of incoming danger, and though he trusted them to do just that if trouble came he was still on edge. The call died in his throat, though, when he saw that it definitely wasn't a jackal.

"Rafiki?" Simba was pleasantly surprised to see his longtime friend return today.

The mandrill who was their pride's Shaman walked slowly into the cave, stared around at the injured lions in shock for a moment, then stalked up to the Lion King and stood, arms tossed out to either side, with an incredulous look on his face.

"What happened here?" he demanded.

_Rafiki is back! Thank the Kings! _Simba smiled to himself, relief rushing through him. But what he answered was; "A lot. Took ya long enough."

"I left for _one week!_" the mandrill protested, rapping the bottom of his stick against the cave floor for emphasis.

"It was a long week," Simba returned.

"It was only a few days! What have you done to my pride?" Rafiki demanded indignantly.

Simba chuckled. "_Your_ pride?"

"Well, look what happens when I leave it in your care!"

Nala stirred and raised her head groggily. "What's g... Rafiki!" she exclaimed joyfully, fully awake in an instant. "You're finally back!"

"Finally? I left for _one week! _I am _never _leaving again!" Rafiki exclaimed as he stamped his foot, obviously deeply annoyed.

Then he sighed. "So, it was jackals?" he asked in a calm and business-like tone, doing an about-face from his irritation and gesturing to the marks covering the lions, looking like he was ready to get to work on his charges.

"Yes... And the whole pride got sick a few days ago. Half of them still are; the same ones who were attacked by the jackals," Nala answered sadly. "Come, I'll show you the worst injured first. Kiara is one, and so is Simba." She got to her paws.

As Rafiki got out his supplies, including the half-gourd in which he usually mixed plants and berries, Simba protested, "There are many others who are hurt worse than I am, Nala."

"There are a _few _who are hurt worse," Nala corrected. Simba had bites and scratches all over his chest, sides, legs, even a few on his back, some of them rather deep, from his battle with Erevu and her pack mates. "But not many. Sleep, Simba. You need to rest." she said, briefly nudging his head affectionately with her own.

"She is right," Rafiki broke in, beginning to drop different kinds of leaves and berries into his half-gourd. "Go to sleep now, Rafiki will handle dis," the Shaman said briskly. He started mixing the contents of his half-gourd by twisting it back and forth.

Frowning, Simba looked between Nala and Rafiki, the former of whom was staring at him expectantly. He knew that Nala and Rafiki, as well as the rest of his pride who were healthy and unhurt, wouldn't fail the injured lions. They would make sure that they got better if it was possible for them to do so. Still, as much faith as he had in them, that wasn't the thing that bothered him about the idea of going to sleep and letting them handle it. What bothered him was the thought of leaving this duty to anyone else. He felt as though he should be helping _somehow. _He was the king of this pride and it was his responsibility, as well as his desire, to take care of his pride mates, to keep them safe. A responsibility that he had already failed in, he remembered guiltily. The jackal attack certainly hadn't been safe for the lions of his pride. He didn't want to fail them again. At the same time, he knew that he was hurt, sick, and that he needed to rest if he was going to recover. And he knew that Nala, loyal and steadfast as she was, wasn't going to give up until he _was _resting. He would have to leave it to them to help the injured lions. He trusted them to take good care of others, after all, and in this condition he wouldn't be much help, anyway. With a resigned sigh, Simba laid back down to rest.

Finished mixing the herbs and berries into a poultice, Rafiki went to Simba to work on his injuries. Before he could start, however, the red-maned king raised his head again. "Wait, Rafiki," he said determinedly. "I'm last. Nala has taken really good care of me, I can wait. Help the rest of our pride first."

Rafiki stared at Simba for a moment as he met the mandrill's eyes with a resolute gaze. Then Rafiki nodded, turned and went to another, grumbling something about stubborn lions under his breath.

Pausing first to make sure Simba put his head back down to rest, Nala then fell into step next to Rafiki. "Let me tell you what you missed." she said, as she led the mandrill over to a sleeping Kiara. Kiara was one of the lions in the most danger from wounds and sickness. Nala was very worried for her daughter.

"About six days ago, right after you went on your sabbatical, I took a group out to hunt. We went beyond the Pride Lands borders, following a herd of giraffe. The hunt was taking a long time and we were all thirsty, so we searched for water. We found a stream. I remember that the water tasted a little unpleasant, but that didn't seem important." Nala grimaced. It had been very important. It had made the entire pride sick, and so unable to defend themselves effectively against the attacking jackal pack.

"A few days later, however, everyone who had gone on the hunt was getting sick." Nala then rattled off the name of every lion who had been the first to take ill, herself included, before continuing with her story. "The most we could guess was that the water in that stream must have been polluted. The symptoms were achy muscles, stomach pain, and fatigue. It was affecting us all very badly. Mikazo told Simba about some herbs he knew of that would help us get over the sickness, so they went to pick the plants and then used them on the ill lions."

"Which herbs did you use?" Rafiki interrupted, looking up from Kiara with a concerned expression crossing his features. He was smearing some of the mixture of crushed leaves and berries on her wounds. The golden-coated lioness wasn't even stirring as Rafiki worked on her injuries, too deeply asleep to notice. That was good, Kiara needed to rest as well.

"Horsetail stalks from the river, Bird's Brandy stalks and Cancer bush leaves. We didn't mix them together," Nala answered. "They were safe to use, weren't they?" she asked with a twinge of worry. No one had suffered from the use of the plants as far as they'd been able to tell. In fact, they had felt better after eating them despite the awful taste. But maybe the effects could show up later?

"If you did not give anyone too large a dose of anyting, den it is fine," Rafiki replied. "Mikazo did well and he might have saved a few lives."

"No one took more than a few at once. About a pawful," Nala told him.

Rafiki nodded, and Nala, feeling relieved that they hadn't inadvertently caused their pride mates any harm while trying to help them, once again continued with the tale of the events that happened in the Shaman's absence. "After a few days, about three, the ones who had gone on the hunt were getting better. But then the rest of the pride started to get sick. We decided to go on a hunt a day or so after that. We needed food even if half the pride was sick, perhaps more so _because _they were sick. We couldn't safely leave them without someone staying behind to help them. Simba was staying, of course, since he was and still is sick, but he needed to be taken care of as well. So we left Mganga here to watch over them." Nala's voice caught painfully on the deceased lioness' name. "She died in the fight, trying to protect the others..." Nala trailed off as she thought of her lost pride mate and friend, her ears lowered sadly.

Upon hearing the news of Mganga's death, Rafiki grew very still, frozen for a moment in sorrow. Then he sighed, his expression pained. "I am sorry to hear dat. Very sorry indeed," he said solemnly, going back to work on the next injured lion.

Nala nodded in acknowledgment. "Because we were on a hunt," she said, her voice slightly shaky from recounting the death of Mganga, "we didn't know that the rest of the pride was being attacked until Zazu flew up to us while we were stalking a zebra herd. He told us about the jackals and we ran back to Pride Rock. When we got here, the jackals fled. Everyone who had stayed here was badly hurt and Mganga was dead. Simba told me that she was the first to be attacked and that she died standing in between the jackal pack and her pride." Nala shook her head sadly, though her grief over the loss of her friend was mixed with pride in Mganga's bravery and loyalty. She would miss Mganga very much.

"I sent some of the pride out to collect supplies; moss to pack the wounds with, absorbent moss we could use to bring back water, and Horsetail stalks to use on the lions who are still ill. We did what we could to stop their bleeding and clean the wounds. Once that was done, we buried Mganga near Pride Rock. Some of us kept watch for trouble while others dug the grave." It had taken Nala a while to clean the dirt from in between her claws. It had been very difficult to dig the hole in the first place, and not just because the ground was hard and dry from lack of rain. They had, after all, been digging a grave for their pride mate.

"After that, we moved everyone inside the cave where it was safer. We cleaned any wounds that had started bleeding when we moved them, and then we all laid down to rest. Then you returned," Nala finished the story. "And it's a really good thing you did, Rafiki." She glanced at the injured lions around her. As she spoke, Rafiki had been hard at work. Almost all of her hurt pride mates now had poultices on their wounds. With Rafiki here to heal them, they were bound to get better quickly. Nala was relieved beyond words that the powerful Shaman was back in the Pride Lands and able to help her troubled pride.

"You did well," Rafiki said as he finished working on one of the last of the untreated injured lions. "De wounds are packed correctly and dey have been given plenty of water. Dere is little dat I could have done better."

Nala smiled, grateful that they had been able to help their injured pride mates.

Rafiki straightened from his work and took a slow look around at the injured lions of Pride Rock, their formerly smooth pelts slashed and torn from the claws and teeth of the vicious jackal pack. "What will be done about the jackals?" he almost snarled, his eyes suddenly flashing dangerously, filled with anger on behalf of the lions who he healed and fought for.

"We will take a group out and hunt them down. Soon," Nala answered, a growl rattling in her own chest. She was looking forward to catching up with the jackals who had attacked her pride and killed Mganga. They couldn't do this to her pride without retaliation. And more than just that, more than for the sake of retribution, the jackals were far too dangerous to be allowed to live. If they were cocky enough to attack a large pride of lions, than there was no telling what else they would try before they were stopped permanently.

"Good." Rafiki nodded with satisfaction.

They walked back toward Simba, who woke from a light doze as they approached.

When they reached him, Rafiki said, "Alright, _now_ it is your turn."

"Thanks, Rafiki," Simba said, as Nala sat down next to him. "How is everyone? Will Kiara be okay?" he asked anxiously.

Quickly setting to work on Simba's wounds, Rafiki answered; "Kiara will be fine." Simba and Nala both let out sighs of relief at that, both of them feeling a large amount of fear and tension leave them at hearing that their daughter would live, while Rafiki continued, "Almost all of de pride will make a quick and total recovery. Though some will make a faster recovery den others will."

"_Almost _all of the pride?" Nala asked warily as she registered the word, her tail whisking back and forth slightly in sudden worry.

"It appears dat da lion, Mikazo, has developed an infection in one of his wounds. It is the bite on his neck, it is reddened and oozing. I am doing what I can to clear de infection, but it may be difficult for a while as it appears to have taken hold already," Rafiki said.

"Oh no," Simba muttered. "Rafiki, you have to save him. He saved the lives of my daughter and grandson."

Nala got to her paws and went over to Mikazo, who lay nearby, still unconscious, and licked the top of his head in a motherly manner. The light brown lion didn't wake up. Nala noticed that he was shivering slightly in his sleep. As she watched it hit her that he wasn't truly sleeping. This wasn't a healing sleep; the lion was unconscious. She shared a worried look with Simba.

"I will do what I can for him. I will save him if it is possible," Rafiki promised firmly.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Tumaini crouched by the lake that was near her pride's cave, lapping thirstily at the water, through which she could easily see the lake-bed. The water in the lake was greatly lowered, and most of the streams that normally fed the lake were now completely dry, the others merely a trickle that barely flowed. The hot sun and lack of rain was taking its toll on the land. She could feel the heat from the sun hanging high in the sky, relentlessly drying the land below it to a cracked and dusty crust, while warming Tumaini's red pelt and turning it the color of a blazing fire.

As she raised her head from the water, which was so warmed by the sun that it gave little relief from the heat, her fur brushed the stalks of grass around her, causing them to crackle with electricity that made the fur that came in contact with them stand on end. The grass was brown and dry, almost dead from lack of water. If it didn't rain soon, the grass would die completely, leaving the herd animals- the lion's prey- with nothing to eat. The herd animals would leave the territory and the lions would have to follow or starve. Odd, Tumaini thought, how even though lions didn't eat the grass, they relied so heavily upon it for survival.

Finished drinking, her thirst quenched even if she was still feeling overheated, Tumaini turned to head back to her pride's cave, picking her way through the brittle stalks of grass. She had only gone a short way when the wind shifted in her direction; and carried on that wind was the scent of unfamiliar lions.

She stopped in place and sniffed the air, trying to work out the scents. There were several lions in her territory, heading this way, and she definitely didn't recognize any of their scents.

She peered cautiously in the direction the strangers' scents came from and then started walking that way, wondering if she should go tell her pride mates right now, but too curious not to take a look first. It wasn't all that often that they had visitors in their lands. The last time someone had come to their pride was, of course, when Jinamizi had arrived to take the throne from Hodari and Kawanja, which was hardly the most pleasant of memories for Tumaini. Along with her curiosity of what these lions might be doing in her territory that was driving her to take a look before she told her pride mates, she also wanted to put off having to deal with Jinamizi for as long as was possible to do so.

Tumaini walked to the top of a small hill that rose in a gentle slope not far from the lake. Once there, she scanned the territory around her, using the higher vantage point to try to spot the strangers.

After a moment, she saw them; a group traveling through the grasslands in the direction of their cave. From what she could see, the group looked to be made up of four lionesses and one lion, a small pride. From the way they were heading across the land, unwaveringly in the direction of the cave, she guessed that they were following the scent of her and her pride mates as they neared the cave where they lived and their scents were strongest. She also realized that the fact that they were heading straight toward her pride's cave must mean that the strangers were looking to meet with them for some reason. If they had been here to steal prey or some other similar reason, they would be trying to stay out of sight, rather than heading right to the home of the lions whose territory they were trespassing in, so obviously that wasn't what the strangers had in mind.

Not knowing if this group of lions was hostile or not, and not wanting to confront them for being in her territory without others with her in case they were, Tumaini quickly and silently spun on her hind paws and raced back to her cave to inform her pride mates that they had visitors.

When Jinamizi heard her report, the king stood from where he was lounging in front of the cave's entrance. "I'll handle this," he announced, his demeanor cruelly dismissive. He stalked off in the direction Tumaini had indicated, arrogance clear in his every movement.

Tumaini, Uzuri, Nuru and Cheneta exchanged glances, and then the four lionesses bounded after their dark leader. They moved quickly through the tall Savannah grasses, crossing the plains.

When they came within sight of the group of unfamiliar lions, the newcomers stopped, respectfully awaiting their approach.

Jinamizi was in the lead and he took an aggressive stance. "For what purpose do you dare enter my land?" he demanded, baring his sharp teeth threateningly.

The lion in the group stepped forward and bowed his head deferentially to the king. His gaze was open and honest. He was a handsome lion with a sandy coat and a dark red mane. His muzzle, chest and paw-tips were a light tan. His deep green eyes flashed momentarily as he stood tall and strong, facing the threatening lion without fear. His stance was respectful, but wary. "We mean no harm," he said, his voice calm and soothing.

"My name is Msafiri. And this is my pride. We have come to ask for temporary shelter. My mate, Masa-" He indicated a brown-furred lioness among the group who looked tired and worn. She was painfully thin and her coat was ragged. Tumaini now noticed a lioness cub sitting between Masa's fore-paws, looking up at Jinamizi with wide eyes. The little cub was so small that she hadn't noticed her earlier when the lions were approaching through the tall grasses. "-Is unwell, she needs a safe place to rest and recover."

Tumaini looked at Jinamizi, wondering what he would do. She hoped that the group of strangers would be allowed to stay. They seemed harmless and they were in need of help, but she doubted Jinamizi would be willing to lend a paw.

She was right. "Shelter?" Jinamizi growled viciously. "You trespass on _my _territory, expecting me to welcome you rather than rip you to shreds? You dare ask for shelter?"

"Jinamizi," Uzuri started, her eyes narrowed with anger, as she moved a pace forward, "they need help. Why-"

"_Silence!_" Jinamizi snapped, snarling at his pride mate. Uzuri reluctantly obeyed, sending an apologetic glance at Msafiri's pride as she did.

Msafiri stared in shock. "I only want help for my mate, I do not mean to cause any trouble," he insisted, obviously attempting to keep things well-mannered and civil.

"Well, if you do not mean to cause any trouble, you'll leave now, won't you?" Jinamizi said coldly, taking a step toward Msafiri, his mate and their cub, his claws out and teeth bared.

Tumaini let out a quiet growl that rumbled in her chest, glaring at her king angrily. How dare he treat lions in need in such a manner?

Msafiri stiffened and, with a defensive snarl, moved in between Jinamizi and his family. He nudged Masa's shoulder gently, indicating that it was time to leave, not taking his eyes off the tawny king as he did so. Masa silently picked up her cub and padded ahead, looking tired and resigned. The other three lionesses followed their queen, shooting furious glares back at Jinamizi as they did so.

Msafiri started to follow them, then stopped and looked back at Jinamizi, meeting the tawny king's hard gaze with his own suddenly calm, determined one. "You are a cold-heated king," he said quietly. "If Masa dies, beware."

"You're welcome to try any time," Jinamizi snarled, going half-way into a attack crouch. "If you want to die, I'll be happy to oblige you."

Ignoring him, Msafiri glanced at Tumaini, Uzuri, Cheneta and Nuru with sympathy in his green eyes, and as he did, Tumaini suddenly had an idea that she might be able to help them in a subtle way. Trying to catch Msafiri's gaze with her own, she jerked her head in the direction of Simba's Pride Lands, hoping he would get the message. Msafiri turned and followed after his pride mates, heading out of Jinamizi's territory.

Tumaini wasn't even sure that Msafiri had seen her hint of where he should head, because he hadn't reacted. That was actually a good thing, though, because if he had reacted, Jinamizi might have killed her for trying to help Msafiri and his pride. Even so, she couldn't have not tried; they needed help.

If they followed her hint, and then, after leaving her pride lands, followed the scent markers to the next, they would come to Simba's land. Hodari, the king of Tumaini's pride before Jinamizi had taken over, had mentioned once or twice that Simba was a fierce and strong king with a good heart. The two kings had met a few times in the past, though Tumaini, as a young cub, hadn't been included in the talks. If Msafiri and his pride mates found their way to Simba's pride, they would be given help, she was sure. Simba would help them. She just hoped that her hint had been seen and understood.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Msafiri was getting very worried for Masa. She was panting heavily and wasn't able to go much faster than a walk, dragging her brown-tufted tail on the ground behind her and barely lifting her paws as she plodded on. Msafiri was carrying their cub, Azizi. Masa was so tired and weak now that Msafiri had been worried that even carrying their small daughter would be too hard. Msafiri walked close beside his beloved mate, watching her carefully to be sure she rested when she needed to. She had a tendency to claim she was fine so that she didn't inconvenience the rest of her pride. He sighed. As if she could ever be an inconvenience, his lovely Masa.

Masa had become ill shortly after giving birth to Azizi. They assumed she'd picked up some sort of infection from the difficult birth. Fortunately, Azizi was healthy and strong. But Masa's health had continued to deteriorate throughout the months since Azizi's birth.

Msafiri was terrified that he was going to lose her. He wasn't at all sure that he could bear it if Masa died.

He was also furious that that lion, Jinamizi, had refused to give them shelter- to give Masa, who was so sick, shelter! It would only have been until Masa had recovered, but the cruel king had turned them away without the slightest hesitation. He had refused shelter to a lioness who was in danger of dying if she wasn't helped. If Masa died because of that, Msafiri swore to himself that Jinamizi would pay, one way or another.

Msafiri, Masa, and the rest of their pride had been forced to leave their home land when all the water sources dried up a few weeks ago. Their home was farther downstream than this area so the long dry season had badly affected their lakes and streams. Since then, they had been trying to find a new place to stay. But that problem was put to the side as Masa's health got worse. They needed to find a pride to take them in until Masa recovered. Then they could continue to look for a place that would make a good home.

His pride was now heading in the direction that he thought that the lioness from Jinamizi's pride had indicated. Though he wasn't sure whether she had been telling them where they should go to find help or just telling them to get a move on and leave, he hoped it was the former. He thought that the lionesses in that pride had seemed much more willing to help someone in need than had been their king. He felt bad for them. That anyone would have to live under the rule of a king such as that was a terrible thing. But at the moment, his main concern was Masa. They needed to find someone who would help his sick mate, before it was too late.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Simba sat next to Mikazo, looking at the young lion with concern. Kimada lay nearby, resting on his side and sound asleep. Like most of the others, Kimada had tired himself out by tending to their sick and hurt pride mates. Mikazo had not yet awakened, and Rafiki had said that it would still be a while until he did; that is, if he got over the infection enough to wake up at all.

Mikazo had wounds covering much of his body, deep bites and slashes across his legs and paws, and on his chest, even his tail had a vicious bite mark near the tip. Worst of all, Mikazo's deep brown mane was parted by a jagged bite wound. It was lucky that the jackal's teeth hadn't gone any deeper than they had. If they had sunk in any deeper, Mikazo would have been killed immediately. That wound was the most dangerous one, the one that was now infected. Simba was easily able to see that. The bite was an angry red, and had swollen so that it was higher than the skin around it. Simba could smell the infection festering in the wound, a sickly, sour smell that made him want to gag from being so near to it.

Simba had been horrified and furious when the jackals attacked his pride. He had tried to drive them away, to kill their leader, Erevu. He'd known that with her dead, her pack, then leaderless, would likely disperse. But, as sick as he was, he hadn't been able to match Erevu's speed and ferocity, though he had managed to give the she-jackal a few wounds to think about.

He'd been terrified, frantic, when he heard Kiara yell that jackals were going into the cave where Daka was. He hadn't been able to get past the pack leader, quick and vicious as she was, and had thought that he might lose his grandson. Simba had tried to tear away from Erevu to get to Daka, but the savage jackal had blocked his way and lunged at his neck, sinking her claws and teeth into his mane. He had been forced to continue fighting her. He'd then been gratified to see Mikazo run into the cave, and hoped that his young apprentice wasn't too late to save Daka. Soon after that, Kiara had broken past the jackals and raced into the cave as well.

He had seen Mikazo a few times as they fought the jackals, and had been glad to see that the light brown lion was able to put his battle training to good use. Thank the Great Kings that the young lion was such a quick study and was learning to fight quite adequately; otherwise, Kiara and Daka might have been killed. Simba shivered at the thought of losing his daughter and grandson. Losing either one of them was unthinkable, and to lose both at once was a horror not to be contemplated.

Simba settled in for what might be a long night, watching this lion and making sure the infection didn't win this battle. Though Rafiki had it mostly under control, Simba wasn't going to relax. He didn't want another lion to die, especially not this lion, to whom he owed so much.


	13. For Honor and Safety

**Hi there! I'm sorry for the wait. While I always intend to write my chapters quickly, they don't always flow off my keyboard with speed. I will do my best to get the next chapter out faster than I did this one. Thank you ****t****o everyone who reviewed. I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!**

Early the next morning, as the sky changed from brilliant yellows and reds to a pale blue, the pride was waking. Heads were raising, limbs were gingerly stretching, mindful of still healing wounds. A few of them were cautiously beginning to clean their ruffled fur, trying not to brush against their injuries as they did. Others lay resting, still looking tired from the illness that had not completely faded.

Kimada sighed as he looked around at all the walking wounded, though he was glad to see that they were well enough to walk at all. Then he turned his attention to the small group surrounding Mikazo. Simba and Nala were talking quietly with Rafiki, who was examining his still sleeping friend.

Kimada got to his paws and walked over to them, stopping a little behind the three so as not to get in the way. He sat down to wait for the Shaman to complete his work, anxious to hear the report on Mikazo's condition.

When he was finished with the examination, Rafiki stood up with a grin on his face and announced; "He's over the worst of it. He is going to be alright!"

Cheers broke out in the cave, led by Kimada, who was ecstatic at the news that his friend would survive. Every lion was glad to hear that Mikazo would make it. Word had gotten around that he had saved Kiara and Daka. The Royal Family was very popular among the members of this pride and Mikazo was their hero who saved their future leaders.

Within moments, the healthy lions of the pride were gathered around their king, knowing what had to be done and eager to do it. They had been attacked while down. They'd lost Mganga. Others of their pride were lucky to be alive. It was right and it was time.

"Everyone who is healthy and able to fight is honor-bound to go," Simba started. His voice was quiet and serious, reflecting his determination to end the threat that the jackals presented. "They attacked our pride without provocation, and killed one of our pride mates. We will make this right and we will make sure that no other pride suffers as we have."

The lions surrounding him nodded eagerly in agreement, some of them growling quietly as they thought of what the jackals had done. Others remained silent, their gazes as determined as were those of their more vocal pride mates. All were ready to do what must be done.

"Just give me a moment to stretch and we can leave," Simba said, arching his back and pushing his fore-paws in front of him, both of which had freshly closed wounds covering them. He winced slightly as he did so.

Nala spoke up, her tone concerned, "Simba, I know how much you want to do this. And in different circumstances I would stand by your side and we'd do it together. But you've been sick and gravely injured, and this pride needs you. We can't risk losing you to open wounds or the illness."

"I understand your concern, really I do, and I can't pretend I'm not aching all over," Simba said, standing from his stretch and meeting her gaze evenly. "But those jackals attacked my pride and killed one of our lionesses. I'm going."

Nala looked into Simba's eyes for a long moment before nodding her agreement.

Kimada was very glad that Simba was going. He couldn't help but feel they had a much better chance of tracking down and defeating the jackals with Simba along. It wasn't as though he'd been very concerned that they might lose before now, even before he knew Simba would be there. There were more lions going than the number of jackals he had seen fleeing the fight, and one lion, when healthy, could handle several jackals alone. Still, nothing was ever certain and it just felt right to have the king lead the way to the battle.

He was a little worried about Simba, though. Their leader was badly injured and not yet fully recovered from the sickness. Kimada almost groaned aloud just remembering how bad that illness was. He flinched away from the thought of losing their king, but he was sure Simba would be fine. He was strong and smart and he'd know when to quit if it got to be too much. As well as that, the lions had the advantage over the jackals in both numbers and health. All the ones who were going, aside from Simba, were the ones who had not been there to fight the jackal pack the first time around, and so had escaped injury. Kimada knew that none of the pride would allow anything to happen to Simba, and it wasn't as though their king was completely defenseless, either. Simba was a truly great king, going with his pride mates to fight the pack despite his injuries and the lingering illness.

A few among the group stepped forward to protest, but Simba quelled them with a look. "I can't just stay here and allow all of you to avenge our pride without me. I am going," he said with a note of finality.

The others nodded in acceptance, though some did so reluctantly, obviously worried for their king's health. Then everyone turned and padded among their pride mates to make certain all the ailing lions had all they needed and were comfortable, while Simba spoke with Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu. Those three were staying behind to stand guard and help out, passing out herbs and fetching water in Timon and Pumbaa's cases, and keeping an eye out for danger in Zazu's case. He would be available should there be trouble to fly quickly to the lions who were going after the jackals and alert them to the need to return.

"Makes you sorta miss Hakuna Matata right about now, eh, Simba?" Kimada had to chuckle at hearing that. He didn't need to look over at Simba to know who was speaking. You couldn't miss Timon's voice. But when he did look over he saw Simba and Pumbaa look at their friend, then at each other, then vigorously nod in agreement.

The meerkat was leaning against his friend Pumbaa as they chatted with Simba. Kimada loved the stories of Simba's days with Timon and Pumbaa. They were oft requested in the evenings when the lions gathered after eating. It was his favorite part of being a member of this pride. All the lions rested together in the evenings as the sunshine faded and told stories or just talked. And Timon was right; these last few days would make anyone think back to more carefree times.

Just then Rafiki spoke up, declaring his intention to go "jackal hunting" with the rest of them. Everyone immediately cheered. Watching Rafiki in battle was a treat in itself; the mandrill was amazing.

Just after Rafiki's announcement, Daka spoke up from where he sat against his mother's side, "I'm going, too."

Tail waving in excitement, he tried to bound forward to join the group as he spoke, but Kiara caught him with a paw before he could, pulling him back to her side. "No, you're not," Kiara said. The golden lioness had woken earlier that day, before the moon had completely set. She was weak and tired, but she was, thanks to Rafiki, feeling much better than she had before the mandrill returned. She was not yet fully recovered from either the sickness or, obviously, the wounds the jackals had inflected the day before, but she was on her way there.

"Mom..." Daka protested, eyes wide with indignation. "I can fight! Kimada and Mikazo taught me!"

"You're too young to go fighting jackals," Kiara gently admonished him. Daka continued trying to get free from her paw for a moment before giving in when his mother continued, "Besides, you're keeping me warm and that makes me feel so much better."

The group that would leave to hunt down the jackals was quite a large one. Simba, Nala, Kovu, Vitani, Kudura, Huni, Nyota, Mwezi, Kukimbia, Kimada and Rafiki were all going. While this was perhaps overdoing it in numbers, they all felt that it was better to be safe than sorry while dealing with the jackals. The jackal pack would be the helpless ones this time around, just as their pride mates had been the day before. And besides, no one wanted to stay behind. Everyone wanted to avenge their pride.

Kimada was kneading the smooth stone floor with his claws, anxious to get going. The jackals were going to pay for what they had done to his pride. These lions had taken him in when he was a cub and made him family. He may not have been a born Pride Lander, but Kimada felt like one. He had grown up among the lions of Simba's pride, and he would protect his pride mates with his life. Kimada couldn't wait to catch up to the jackal pack so that he and his pride mates could make sure something like the pack's attack never happened again.

They were all gathered around Simba once more, and the king was about to lead them out into the grasslands when a voice called out weakly from a little farther back in the cave, "What's going on?"

"Mikazo?" Kimada looked back. Mikazo was still laying with his head on the ground. The only way he could tell his friend was awake was that his silvery-blue eyes were peering at him from half-closed lids. He looked tired, his voice was scratchy, but he was awake.

Kimada grinned and bounded over to Mikazo. "Hey, buddy, good to see you awake. We're leaving now to take care of those jackals. You just rest and we'll be back in no time."

Mikazo blinked, and his eyes were unfocused for a moment before he closed them once again. "Okay," he said with a small smile, then fell back asleep.

Kimada shook his head with a chuckle and turned to head back to the group, but started when he saw Rafiki was standing right behind him. "All de boy needs now is sleep," the Shaman informed him with a satisfied look on his face.

They all followed Simba out into the sunshine, padding onto the jutting promontory and then leaping down the rocky slope that led into the grasslands. Once there, they started searching for the pack's scent trail.

In this case, the fact that there had been no rain was actually helpful; the trail had not been washed away. The scents remained pungent on the fronds of grass that the jackals had brushed against as they ran. It was strong and easy to pick up. All of them, Kimada included, could easily detect the scent of blood as well as the pack members' individual scents. Most of the blood had sunk into the ground since the jackals had fled, but even so, it alone left a strong enough trail for them to easily follow. And that didn't even take into account the scent of the jackals themselves.

Normally, lions would not be able to run fast enough to hope to overtake jackals. Small as the creatures were, they were quick-footed and could run at a high speed for long stretches at a time. But the pack was injured, and so in no state to run for long periods at a time. The lions made very good time.

Kimada could tell from the jackals' scents that they had been both afraid and furious as they ran from Pride Rock. Their scents were altered by their emotions enough that most any animal could pick up the pack's mood from their smell.

The lions and the mandrill followed the scent trail through the grasslands, keeping their noses to the grass and ground as they continued to track the jackals.

Simba, in the lead, remarked on the amount of blood the jackals had left behind. Kimada mentally agreed it was a significant amount. It would slow them down quite a bit. Normally he'd feel shame at attacking a group of animals who were already injured, who were weakened and less able to defend themselves. But this time they were avenging just such an attack on their pride when the lions were sick, so his conscience was clear. Also, they had to stop this band of jackals from regrouping and returning or attacking another pride.

A short time later they arrived at the river, which complicated things. Though the water was low with the dragging on of the dry season, it was there in sufficient enough quantity to mask the scents of the jackals. It was a perfect place for the aggressive pack to change direction and fool their hunters. Their scent trail ended at the water's edge. The lions paused as they reached it, eying the river water with dismay.

"Great," Kimada heard Vitani mutter sarcastically. Kimada silently agreed, heaving a sigh.

They checked to see if the jackals' trail reappeared on the other side of the bank directly across from them. It didn't, of course. The jackals were nothing if not clever. This meant that the jackals had traveled through the low river and had most likely left it farther up or downstream.

This meant they would have to search for the scent trail in the river.

The group fanned out to sniff at the small islands that were scattered about in the river-bed. The water was low enough that the occasional small hills in the river-bed had created these islands. It was likely that the jackals had worked to avoid getting too close to them where they'd leave a scent behind, but maybe there would be some evidence of the direction they'd taken if the lions looked closely enough.

Kimada padded back and forth, checking the miniature islands for any hint of jackal scent. It wasn't easy; the water washed away any scent that might have been there and it was hard to smell anything on the dryer islands besides river water and reeds. Even the blood seemed to be washing easily away. The water level was lower than normal but still high enough to be flowing freely.

They all turned to look when Kovu called out, "Over here! They've been here!" The dark lion was standing next to one of the small islands. He had his muzzle buried deep in the patch of reeds that sprouted from it.

The group went over to Kovu, parting to allow Simba to step up to examine Kovu's discovery. "What did you find?" Simba looked at the reeds and surrounding river-sand that had caught Kovu's attention, sniffing for the pack's scent, then, obviously not noticing anything, looked at his son-in-law in confusion.

"It's right there, see? The reed on the edge here is bent just so, inward, like it was brushed by an animal as it passed. Then look next to it, just under the water in the mud, you can see where a jackal's paw must have slipped a bit off the edge."

Simba blinked in surprise. "That's a rather impressive find, Kovu," he said. "What can you see from here?"

Kovu put his muzzle back to the patch of grass for a moment, confirming where the trail was leading, then wandered over to another small island nearby.

Simba looked back at the others in the group. "Take a look at this," he said, jerking his head at Kovu's find.

They all gathered around to see what Kovu had found. Kimada was impressed. He never would have noticed such slight signs if they hadn't been pointed out to him. It seemed Simba was feeling the same way.

They watched with interest, standing back so as not to ruin the trail by mingling their own scents with those of the jackals. Kovu walked downstream, going from island to island and checking each of the small patches of land and reeds for any scent or print or other sign of their query.

Kovu raised his head and looked back upstream, sniffed at the island by his paws once more, then turned and retraced his steps, heading back upstream and passing his pride mates with his muzzle still to the ground. At Simba's nod, they fell into line behind Kovu.

They followed Kovu upstream, watching as he stopped frequently to check some areas more carefully than others. He was sniffing for the pack's scent on the reeds and small dry areas in the river. At one point upstream he stopped near the edge of the river, sniffed at the islands, then sniffed the river-bank on the far side with a new air of excitement. He appeared to have found their trail again because he left the river at that point and padded forward a few steps, nose to the ground.

"I've found the trail!" Kovu called triumphantly to the others.

"Good work, Kovu," Simba praised. "Let's go." He bounded out of the river and up the river-bank to dry land. Kimada followed with the rest of the group, all of them shaking water from their paws as they did.

Kimada lowered his muzzle to the ground. Kovu was right; he had definitely found the trail. The pack's scent was strong on the blades of grass beside the river. It was easy to tell in which direction the jackals had been traveling now that they were out of the river and the water wasn't washing away the scent. Kimada wondered how Kovu had found the trail back there. He certainly hadn't been able to pick it up in the river.

The lions and mandrill followed the scent-trail through the grasslands. The trail occasionally looped back on itself as though the jackals had hoped to confuse their pursuers even more. But it was easier by far to follow here than it had been in the river so the lions continued to gain ground on the pack.

Kimada was getting impatient to find them, a sentiment he guessed was shared by the others as well. How much farther could the jackals have traveled with their injuries? They would surely have had to rest at some point or another. And that, obviously, would have slowed them down.

The sun was inching toward the middle of the now clear blue sky as the group reached the edge of the Pride Lands, out of which the trail led.

"Well," Simba said quietly, "I'm impressed they made it this far."

"So am I," Nala agreed, scanning the ground.

Kimada could see what they meant. The jackals' trail was, by this point, quite obvious. Some of the pack was injured enough that they had apparently been staggering slightly as they walked; much of the grass they had passed over was snapped and trampled, and there was spots of blood scattered along the path. Not very old spots, by the look of it, either. Kimada guessed that the pack wasn't too far away now. They would catch up to them soon.

The group trotted over the border and continued tracking. They didn't have to spend every moment with their noses to the ground, anymore. The trail was recent enough that it was a simple matter to follow it. They checked frequently, anyway, to be sure they didn't lose it.

"We're getting close," Kovu said to the others. The scent was stronger with every step the group took, indicating the pack was only a short distance ahead. The lions instinctively shifted from normal trotting to half-way into a hunting charge, though they weren't going so fast that Rafiki wasn't able to keep pace. The mandrill was surprisingly speedy. Kimada had to admit that he looked pretty impressive with his stick jutting out in front of him as if he meant to run it through the first jackal he came upon.

They continued this way for a short time before Kovu announced that he'd found where the jackal pack had spent the night, and it appeared as if they'd only recently left the spot.

"Alright," Simba said. "You've done well, Kovu, thank you. Vitani, we'd be too noticeable as a group, please scout ahead and when you find them, signal us and we'll be ready to attack."

Vitani nodded. The dark tan lioness then slipped silently away, disappearing into the grass in the direction the pack was headed.

The group continued forward, though traveling somewhat slower than they had been. They needed to stay close enough to Vitani that she wasn't stranded alone against the pack should the jackals surprise her, but far enough away that they didn't alert the jackals to their presence. Of course, the pack would know soon enough that they were being tracked, but it would be best if the lions knew precisely were their query was when that happened, and that was Vitani's job.

Kimada could see glimpses of Vitani's fur through the grass as she tracked the pack. They stayed close enough that they would be able to see when Vitani gave the signal.

Kimada was both thrilled and worried. This was his first real task as a nearly adult lion. He was defending his pride and all other prides these jackals may encounter in the future. It felt good to be a part of something so big, so grown up. He was very careful where he put his paws. He didn't want to mess this up for everyone. It was too important, and besides, he'd be the laughing-stock of the pride if he suddenly slipped and made a loud noise. And so he watched the other lions and learned as they crept ever closer to the pack of jackals.

The whole group froze as one when they saw Vitani abruptly stop. She stayed still for a moment, crouched low to the ground, then she raised her tail and flicked its tip sharply. It was the signal. Vitani had spotted what remained of the black-backed jackal pack.

Soundlessly, the lions and mandrill slipped through the grass toward Vitani. As they drew even with her, a wind swirled down from the sky and brushed past them all, gently sweeping back their fur. The wind twirled around them. It ruffled Simba's mane, then Kovu's. It spun around Nala and swept back the tuft of fur on Vitani's head before blowing through the rest of the group, twisting and tumbling.

It reached Kimada, tossing his mane. He noticed that something about the wind felt friendly, encouraging, even. He noticed that a few of the others were smiling, Rafiki, Simba and Nala among them, seemingly in response to the strange wind. He resolved to ask all about what had just happened when the battle was over. The wind seemed to calm the other lions and Rafiki. It even seemed to strengthen their resolve and energize them. It was funny, but it did the same for him.

Vitani took a few steps back so that Simba could take her place at the front of the group.

Kimada, as the youngest in the group, had been positioned farther back. He couldn't see the pack from there, but that was okay, he'd see them soon enough.

He knew from the planning they'd done on the journey that the next step would be to quietly surround the pack. They'd do so at Simba's signal.

At a jerk of Simba's muzzle, the lions and mandrill fanned out, heading in either direction to circle around the jackals.

Kimada prowled through the grass, staying as low and moving as silently as he could. Now he could see the pack, their wiry coats just visible through the tall grass. He padded a little closer so that he could see them more clearly.

There were around nine jackals that had survived their attack on the pride, and all of them looked worse for wear. The jackals were still traveling, and there was a definite limp in many of their strides, but they were still moving fairly quickly. At the head of their pack was their leader, Erevu. She had several bite and scratch marks parting her fur, and a fresh notch, deep and jagged, in one of her pointed ears. Kimada felt proud that his pride mates, even sick, had managed to do that well against their attackers.

Kimada padded alongside the pack at a distance, ready to attack when Simba gave the signal. He knew the rest of the group was doing the same, surrounding the pack on either side and to the back.

After a moment, during which Kimada watched the pack carefully, his movements stiff and tensed to leap, Simba's roar rang out, loud and strong. The Pride Landers leapt to attack.

The jackals jumped in shock, their pelts bristling fearfully as the lion's roar echoed around them. They stared at the charging lions for a stunned instant, then spun and raced in the direction they'd been traveling, trying to escape before the pride closed the short gap between their groups.

Kimada leapt forward as they began to run. He put on an extra burst of speed until he was sprinting as quickly as he could. His pride mates were doing the same.

The jackals' attempt to flee was rather useless. The lions and the mandrill were far too close for there to be much possibility of them out-running their pursuers, given the pack's injuries.

As the lions caught up to the pack and were within pouncing distance, Erevu, at the head of the jackals, let out a sharp, high-pitched bark. Her pack skidded to a halt, turned, and lunged at their hunters. Though he was unable to understand precisely what Erevu had conveyed to her pack through that bark, Kimada got the basic idea of what she must have ordered. She had told her pack to turn and fight rather than be jumped on as they ran.

With snarls and yips, the pack met the growling lions head on.

Kimada caught a glimpse of Erevu leaping furiously at Simba to finish the fight that they had started back at Pride Rock, and of Nyota rolling as a jackal leapt onto her side, quickly tossing it off before it could sink its claws through her fur, Kovu as he leapt to meet a jackal's charge head-on, and Rafiki as the mandrill knocked a leaping jackal out of the air with a swipe of his stick, then dodged his opponent's bite.

His heart pounding and pelt bristling as he dove into his first real battle, Kimada bounded toward one of the jackals, snapping at it as it turned to face him. It quickly swiped at him with its paw, stopping his bite as its claws slashed viciously at his muzzle. Kimada reared with a pained growl, pulling his muzzle out of the reach of the jackal's claws and teeth. It leapt at his exposed chest and Kimada fell back as it hit him, dislodging it with a fore-paw before it could get a grip on his chest or neck.

Landing neatly, the jackal lunged straight at his side, teeth aiming for his soft-furred stomach. Kimada leapt sideways and swatted the attacking jackal out of the air, his claws swiping down its side in a direct and powerful blow. It staggered as it hit the ground, choking off a low whine, and, as he leapt at it again, it jumped sideways to dodge and tried to sprint away. Unfortunately for the jackal, it ran straight into Kukimbia. The sand-colored lioness turned and sprang on top of it, growling in challenge, before it could change its course.

Shaking his stinging muzzle, feeling glad that the jackal's claws had hit it rather than his eyes, Kimada looked quickly around. His pride mates were definitely winning. The pack was outnumbered and injured and the lions were furious on behalf of their injured pride mates, and of Mganga, who had been killed by the pack.

Kimada lunged at one of the jackals as it passed him; a tawny male with a long scratch on one of his shoulders from the fight at Pride Rock. The jackal dodged Kimada's leap and snapped at his face, nearly biting an ear. Kimada dropped and rolled to the side, lashing out with a paw as he stood. His claws caught the jackal's side and it let out a yelp, pulling away. Kimada pounced on top of it, knocking it onto its side, and finished it with a quick paw-swipe.

As he stood, Kimada realized that only a few pairs of lions and jackals remained fighting; the rest had finished their individual fights. The lions were the victors.

As he watched, Kudura grabbed a jackal's back tightly in her jaws and, rearing to put more strength into her throw, flung her smaller opponent across the field. It hit the ground some distance away and didn't get back up.

Nala finished off the jackal she had pinned beneath her paws. Another jackal attacked her from behind, snapping at her hind legs, but Nala spun, dodging, and then struck the jackal with a fore-paw, smashing it off a rock.

Vitani jumped swiftly out of the way as the jackal she fought bit at her leg. She swiped with her fore-paw in retaliation, soon ending the battle when the jackal landed awkwardly from a miss-aimed attack.

Simba still fought with the pack leader Erevu. The king had fresh blood streaked on his fur, but whether it was all from new wounds or partially from re-opened ones that Simba had gotten in his last fight with the pack leader, Kimada wasn't sure. Erevu lunged at Simba, biting at his neck, trying to break through the thick, red mane. Simba grabbed her tail in his teeth before she could sink her teeth in, and yanked the savage jackal off of his neck, tossing her to the ground. Erevu rolled to her paws and tensed to leap once more, but Simba moved first. Pinning the she-jackal to the ground with his fore-paws, not budging as Erevu thrashed, clawed and yowled, Simba ended the fight with a snap of his jaws, holding on until Erevu stopped fighting and laid still.

Simba backed slowly away from the motionless jackal, panting heavily. He looked around the field and his pride mates, some of whom were finishing the last of the pack while others were recovering from their own fights, gasping for breath and watching to be sure their pride mates had their fights under control.

When the last jackal fell, all was quiet for a moment. The dust kicked up from the battle began to settle, only to be tossed back into the air as the breeze blew. Then Simba let out a roar of victory, quickly joined by the other lions.

Kimada roared as loudly as he could, feeling proud of his pride mates and of himself for their victory over the vicious pack of black-backed jackals.

These jackals would not be hunting excessively for the sport of it anymore. Nor would they ever again attack and attempt to destroy Simba's pride or any other pride.

"Is everyone alright?" Simba called out, once their calls died away.

The others answered in the affirmative. The worst injuries Kimada had suffered were scratches on his muzzle, and while they were fairly deep and stung quite a bit, at worst he had just lost a few whiskers. The others had wounds of varying severity, but thankfully nothing life-threatening.

Simba nodded in satisfaction. "Let's get back, then, and treat these wounds. You all did very well." He turned to Kovu. "Kovu, you, in particular, distinguished yourself today. You found the pack's trail again when we might have lost it in the river. That was really impressive. I hadn't known you were such a good tracker. You also distinguished yourself in battle. You were fierce and relentless. You all were." Simba raised his voice a bit to include everyone, at that. "But you in particular, Kovu. Kiara will be very proud."

"I am proud as well," Nala said with a smile.

Kovu dipped his head to them. "Thank you," he said, looking pleased with the praise.

The group padded back into the Pride Lands borders, moving much more leisurely than they had been when they had crossed the border earlier. The sun was still high in the sky, though it was starting on its way down.


	14. Winds of Change

**Hello, again! Here's the next chapter, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!**

Kimada and the others followed Simba as the Pride Landers made their way back toward Pride Rock, crossing the border and returning to their territory as they left the field where they had fought the jackals behind. Everyone in the group was, to some extent, sore from the battle. So they were moving at a walk.

Rafiki had promised to do what he could for the lions' wounds once they returned to their cave. The injuries they had sustained were not severe enough to require immediate attention and they would be easier to treat when they were back at Pride Rock and Rafiki had access to more of his supplies.

Remembering the strange wind that had blown around them just before they began the battle with the pack, Kimada trotted up to Simba's side.

"Um, Simba?" he said. Simba paused and turned back to Kimada. "Back there, just before the battle. There was a wind. It wasn't... it wasn't like regular wind. I wasn't alone in feeling it, was I? Others felt it too. I saw them smile and perk up somewhat. Did you feel it? What was it?"

Simba shook his head. "No, you're right that it wasn't just a wind, Kimada. It was my father, Mufasa, a great and mighty king." He smiled at Kimada, then turned and continued walking toward Pride Rock.

As Simba walked on, Kimada stood in awe. A former great king... the legendary Mufasa, no less, watched over them? It was really true? Then... his mom and dad... they might also be watching. The thought comforted him like nothing else had in many long days, and with paws that suddenly felt light, he bounded forward to catch up with the group.

They traveled up and down the small hills that made up their territory, passing herds of animals who took little notice of them beyond a cautious glance to see if they were hunting.

The Pride Landers were about half-way home when Kudura suddenly stopped in her tracks, her ears swiveling to catch a sound. "Does anyone else hear that?" the golden-furred lead hunter asked in a hushed voice.

Kimada pricked his ears, as did the others. At first, he heard nothing but the wind rustling the grass and the sound of different bird-calls. Then he heard the sound of fur brushing against dry grass and the steady thud of several sets of paws against the ground. Kimada frowned, listening hard. The paw-steps were too heavy to be that of a cheetah's, he was sure, and there were too many in the group to be those of a leopard, which were solitary animals.

"Lions," Nala said, having come to the same conclusion Kimada had.

Simba quickly changed directions, obviously to head toward the incoming lions. But he faltered in his step and stopped, closing his eyes and swaying a little. Kimada was forcefully reminded of the fact that Simba was far from well. He hadn't noticed their leader show any weakness at all during the battle, but now that it was over, it seemed he was feeling the effects of his injuries and illness.

Just as several of the others rushed toward him, Simba straightened up, shook his head at them, and continued leading them toward the other lions. Not to be deterred, Kovu and Kudura took up positions on either side of their king, ready to steady him should he need it.

Simba looked back and forth at them with a frown but didn't protest, which perhaps said more about his condition than anything else might have.

From the number of paw-steps they could hear, Kimada was pretty sure that there were around four or five lions in the other group. He could also tell that one of the lions was male. His step was far heavier than those of the lionesses in the group. It appeared to be a small pride.

All of the Pride Landers were somewhat tired and injured from their fight with the pack, but not enough that they would be forced to allow a smaller band of lions to trespass in their territory unquestioned.

They walked through the grass and down a short hill, and then they were able to see the other pride of lions.

A large sand-colored male with a deep red mane led the group, padding slowly alongside a brown-furred lioness who appeared to be ill. She was leaning against his shoulder weakly, her head hanging as if she was too weary to take another step. In the lion's mouth was a young female cub with silvery-tan fur. Kimada assumed this was a family.

Behind them walked three lionesses; a gray-brown one, one with a gleaming golden coat, and another with very bright reddish-gold fur. Kimada stared at the last one thoughtfully; there was something very familiar about the lioness, something about the shape of her head and the way she held herself...

With Simba and Nala in the lead, their band approached the other group, who had seen them as well and paused respectfully.

"Hello," Simba said, stopping a few feet from the strangers. "I'm Simba. These are members of my pride and these are our lands." He nodded toward the sickly-looking lioness, frowning slightly in concern at her obvious exhaustion. "Do you need help?"

The other king gently set the little cub down between his fore-paws to free his mouth, then straightened again and said, "My name is Msafiri, and this is my mate, Masa." He put his tail-tip on the shoulder of the brown lioness, who was watching them tiredly, her eye-lids dropping as though she was barely staying awake. "Our daughter, Azizi." The little cub ducked her head with a shy air. "And our friends, Vema," he indicated the gray-brown lioness, "Suluhu," he nodded toward the lioness with the bright golden pelt, "and Zawadi." Kimada's breath caught and for a moment he stopped breathing altogether.

Msafiri had indicted the lioness with the bright reddish-gold fur, the sun-colored fur that was almost exactly the same shade as Kimada's own pelt was; the lioness with the bright blue eyes that he remembered often gleamed with mischief, whose stature was short and whose form was slim but whose personality was massive. He called her Zawadi...

But could it possibly be her?

Kimada padded hesitantly out of Simba's group, walking alongside and passed the two kings, only very distantly aware of the curious glances he was getting from both groups. He walked up to the lioness, his ears pricked hopefully as his heart beat a rapid pace in his chest. "Zawadi?" he asked quietly.

As he neared her, a warm scent washed over him, one that he hadn't smelled since that day the rogue lion attacked his father so that the cruel lion could take his mother for his mate… the day that the rogue had killed them both and Simba had taken him in. There had been no sign of his sister that day, and he had assumed that she had died of hunger, or had perhaps been eaten by some hungry creature who fed on small cubs.

But his sister had survived, there was no doubt of that now; because the lioness named Zawadi, his sister, stood right in front of him, perhaps a little thin, but alive and unhurt.

Zawadi's eyes widened in recognition as she heard his voice, and she stretched her muzzle forward, sniffing for his scent. "Kimada," she breathed in shock. "Kimada, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said hesitantly.

The two siblings stared at each other, frozen for a moment in their shock. Then, at the same time and with matching cries of jubilation, Kimada and Zawadi leapt toward each other, catching the other in mid-air. The brother and sister tumbled to the ground in a heap, purring in joy.

Kimada nuzzled Zawadi, purring so hard he was shaking. Or perhaps he was simply shaking from emotion. His sister was alive! The sister he hadn't seen for a year and had thought was dead. He didn't know how it was possible, how it was true, but it was.

"You're alive!" he choked out.

"So are you!" Zawadi returned, burying her head in her brother's short mane.

The two tumbled around for a moment more, both ecstatic that the other was alive and that they were together again.

Kimada knew that his parents had not lived, he had seen them killed, had mourned over their bodies. But his sister was alive, and she was here. And Kimada could not have been happier.

The sound of Simba's polite cough broke through to Kimada, and he looked up to see the lions of both prides, and Rafiki, staring at them in confusion.

"Um..." Kimada said, looking over at Zawadi.

Simba laughed, as did some of the others from both prides.

"So," Msafiri said, glancing from one to another with amusement, "how do you know each other?"

"Zawadi's my sister!" Kimada exclaimed, grinning happily as he rose back to his paws.

Simba blinked. "You have a sister?" he asked, surprised.

At that, Zawadi glared at her brother. "You never said anything about me?" She sounded offended.

"I'm sorry, 'Wadi," Kimada said softly, lowering his head, "I thought you were dead. I had a really hard time after losing all of you."

"Right." Zawadi nodded in understanding, but then grinned at, Kimada guessed, her brother's name for her. Kimada hadn't been able to pronounce Zawadi as a young cub, so he'd called her 'Wadi. It had stuck.

One of the lionesses from Msafiri's group stepped forward. It was the gray-brown one called Vema. "Zawadi told us she had a brother," she stated, scanning Kimada with surprised amazement- clearly she'd heard the rest of the story from Zawadi as well, and like Zawadi, had thought Kimada to be dead. "You're Kimada?"

"Yep," Kimada answered with his own wide grin.

"I'm very happy for you both," Simba said with a smile, then he turned back to Msafiri. "Is there anything you need? Something we can do for you?"

The visiting king sounded relieved. "Masa, my mate, she's very ill. She can't continue traveling. I wonder if you can offer us shelter for a time, until she's able to travel again?"

"Of course," Simba agreed. "Come back to our cave, you can rest there. And, if you wish, our Shaman, Rafiki, will do what he can for Masa." Simba looked to mandrill for affirmation.

"Certainly, Simba," Rafiki said, "I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you," Msafiri said in a voice rough with gratitude.

They all turned to walk back to Pride Rock. Simba walked on Masa's other side in case she needed more help. The other lions of both prides fanned out beside and behind them.

Kimada could see a slight unevenness in Simba's stride, and thought that the others of his pride likely could as well, though it was probably undetectable to the newcomers. Simba had been injured and still a little sick even before they tracked the pack across the Pride Lands and then fought them, but the red-maned king was clearly- clear to the ones who knew him well, anyway- trying to hold it together until they got to Pride Rock. He was likely also reluctant to show weakness in front of the other pride when they were not yet entirely certain that the strangers didn't pose any threat. Kimada wasn't concerned about that; his sister was a part of that pride, so there was no way that they were any danger to either him or his friends.

While they were walking, Kimada heard the visiting king ask Simba whether they'd been in a fight, having noticed the wounds they were all marked with. Kimada and Zawadi tuned them out. They had a lot of catching up to do.

Kimada hoped that they would be able to help Masa. He was pretty sure that Rafiki could heal nearly anything, though, so he wasn't too worried about that. He was thrilled that they were coming back to Pride Rock to tend to her, because that meant that his sister was coming, too. And it would take some time to nurse the sick lioness back to health, which meant that Zawadi was going to be staying for a while.

"You'll love Pride Rock," he told Zawadi cheerfully. "It's really great!"

The two groups walked back in the direction of Pride Rock, which, fortunately for Masa, who didn't look like she would be able to stay on her paws much longer, wasn't far away.

"How did you survive, Kimada?" Zawadi asked as they walked side by side. The siblings continued walking for a few steps while Kimada thought about how to answer that. But before he could answer, Zawadi quietly asked a second question, "Mom and Dad didn't, did they?"

Kimada paused for a moment, blinked hard, and whispered, "No, they didn't survive. It was horrible, 'Wadi." Kimada shook his head to clear it. "A few hours after the rogue attacked, Simba found me. He took me back to his pride and I've been living here since."

When Kimada noticed Zawadi blinking back her own tears, he bumped shoulders with her, letting her know she was no longer alone.

They padded on in silence for a moment before Zawadi spoke again, "Well, I'm glad he found you. It was horrible believing you were all gone. It's still horrible, but I'm really glad you survived."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I went through that about you," Kimada agreed. "So what about you? You were with Dad that day. Mom went to help Dad and I followed, but I didn't see you anywhere."

Zawadi sighed. "The rogue was attacking Dad, who was fighting back, of course. I was just a small cub and they were two massive lions fighting each other just a few feet away from me... and Dad... he was losing. I was scared, so I ran. I ran quite a way away from our cave. Too far. When I tried to go back, to find you, Dad and Mom, I got lost. I couldn't find my way back. I wandered in circles so much I couldn't even trust my scent trail. Besides, I had no idea how to follow it. So I wandered around for a while, hoping that I would find all of you and that Dad had chased the rogue away. Mom wasn't there to give me milk, so I was starving. And I thought for sure that if Mom or Dad were still alive, they'd have come looking for me, found me... but they didn't. And I thought if they were dead, then you must be, too.

Zawadi's throat moved as she swallowed roughly. Then she continued, "I wandered for more than two days, and I ended up wandering right into a pride's territory. Msafiri's pride. They took me in, gave me meat and saved my life." Her tone perked up slightly as she spoke of her adoptive pride, filled with gratitude and fondness. It was clear to Kimada that his sister really cared about her pride mates from Msafiri's pride. "I lived there up until a few weeks ago. Then our water dried up and we had to leave to survive. And Masa's sick, so we're not only looking for a new place to live, but for help for Masa. So that's how we got here."

"Well, I'm really glad you're here," Kimada said, brushing affectionately against his sister's side.

"Yeah, so am I." She gave Kimada a grin. "That Shaman of yours, Rafiki, might be able to help Masa, and this seems like a nice place to stay for a while. Lots of prey, soft grass to rest on..."

Kimada huffed.

"...And my long-lost brother's here, which is also pretty cool," Zawadi added casually, acting as though it was an afterthought.

"Right," Kimada said, grinning. "I _am_ pretty cool."

Zawadi chuckled, then nudged his shoulder. She looked over at him for a moment without saying anything, seemingly just taking in his presence just like Kimada was with her. His sister was really with him again, she was really here; and Kimada was utterly overjoyed. "You've grown more fur." she noted.

Kimada proudly puffed out his chest. The last time his sister had seen him, he hadn't even had one hair of mane fur on his head, and now his mane was halfway to being full-grown. "Yep! Isn't it great?" He shook his head hard, making the thicker, reddish-brown fur around his neck fly out.

"Well," Zawadi said, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully as she examined him, "it's not bad." Kimada smiled. Then Zawadi continued, "Though now I get to call you Fluffy."

"Oh, no way," he protested, his jaw dropping. It was a nice, thick mane! It wasn't_ fluffy!_

"Not Fluffy?" Zawadi asked innocently.

Kimada shook his head. "No."

"Fuzzy, then?" she said, tilting her head to the side. "Or maybe Puffy?"

"Nope."

"Don't worry, there are a million different possibilities. We'll find you a great nickname." Zawadi grinned.

Kimada groaned, though he was grinning as well.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

As he regained consciousness, Mikazo blearily opened his eyes. He tried to raise his head, but then stopped with a wince; it made the wound on his neck hurt more. His legs, side and tail were throbbing dully as well. After a moment, he raised his head anyway, and looked around.

A few lions lay around the inside of Pride Rock's cave. Timon and Pumbaa were nearby; they seemed to be attempting to organize the store of healing herbs. Zazu was perched in the entrance to the cave, from where he could watch over the lions inside the cave as well as keep an eye for trouble from outside.

Though there were a fair number of lions laying inside the cave, Mikazo noticed that quite a few were absent, Kimada and Simba among them.

Kiara lay nearby, snoozing lightly with Daka curled against her side. The golden lioness looked like she was recovering well, for which Mikazo was glad.

"Hey, Daka?" he asked. The cub was leaning against his mother with his head resting on his paws, but his eyes were open.

At the sound of Mikazo's voice, Daka's head whipped around. "Mikazo!" he said happily. "You're awake!" He got to his paws and stepped away from Kiara, being careful not to wake her, then bounded over to Mikazo.

"How are ya doing?" the mahogany cub asked once he reached Mikazo's side.

"Better," Mikazo assured him, which he was sure was true, despite his soreness. He was awake, and that was certainly doing better than he had been. "Where is everyone?"

"They left to fight the pack. I wanted to go, but Mom needed me here to make her feel better." The cub seemed caught between disappointment at not going and pride that his mother needed him.

"Oh, right," Mikazo said. He thought he could just remember waking up a little earlier, though the memory was a blurry one. Hadn't Kimada talked to him and told him about the jackal hunt? "Well, I'm sure your mother appreciates your staying, Daka."

He thought about asking Daka if everyone, besides Mganga, who he could remember being killed right away, had survived the jackal attack. But he didn't really think that that was something you should ask a small cub. He decided he would wait until Kimada came back, then ask him.

He hoped that they would all be alright. The jackals were injured and, from what he could tell from who seemed to be missing from the cave around him, most of the lions who had gone on the jackal hunt were the ones that hadn't been hurt in the jackals' ambush. So they should easily able to handle the pack. He wished that he had been well enough to go with them and help. Though he guessed that being unconscious put fighting jackals thoroughly out of the question.

"Want some antelope, Mikazo?" Daka asked. "There's a little left over from earlier. I can go get it if you want."

At the mention of antelope, Mikazo suddenly realized how hungry he was. "Yeah. Thanks, Daka."

Daka ran just outside the cave and came back in a few seconds later. In his teeth he held the haunch of the downed antelope. It was half his size and he was dragging it across the ground with all his might, occasionally letting out small growls of effort as his paws scrabbled against the ground. Mikazo was thankful for Daka's help.

"Thanks, Daka!" He ravenously tore into the meat, which was fresh enough that it had likely been caught sometime around that morning, and wondered how long it had been since he last ate. Swallowing a chuck of meat, he said, "How long has it been since the jackals attacked, Daka?"

The cub sat nearby. "Um, about a day and a half," he replied. Daka wasn't eating because it would be a few months yet before he was ready for meat.

So he had been out for around a day, and then fell asleep again for about half of another day... No wonder it was hard to move.

Mikazo finished the antelope haunch and cleaned his muzzle. He was full now, but he needed to get a drink. He knew that they had water-soaked moss ready for the injured and sick lions to drink from, but he would rather get the water from the waterhole; the water there would be fresher and there was more of it to drink.

"I'm gonna get a drink from the waterhole, Daka," Mikazo said, starting to stand. The wounds on his legs stung, but with effort he managed to stay on his paws. He hoped he could get to the waterhole; merely staying standing was hard at the moment.

"I'm coming with you!" Daka said loudly, his tail waving in the air and a broad grin spreading across his face.

Kiara stirred and raised her head, looking over at them. "That's a good idea, Daka," she said, carefully getting to her paws and stifling a yawn. "I'll come as well."

"Alright, let's go!" the cub said, trotting toward the cave entrance. He wasn't moving as fast as he usually did, likely so that his injured mother could keep pace.

Mikazo tentatively took a step, trying to stand as lightly as he could. Even so, it hurt, but he decided it was bearable. He was thirsty, and the waterhole wasn't too far away from Pride Rock.

The three of them walked to the entrance to the cave where Zazu stood. As they walked past him, the small bird looked back into the cave and called to the warthog and meerkat, "Timon, Pumbaa, you'll take over for me here?"

"You bet!" Pumbaa agreed readily.

"Thank you," Zazu said, dipping his head and spreading his wings partway in a small bow. Then he took to the air and flew slowly at Kiara's shoulder. The lioness smiled warmly at Zazu, and the group started down the stone path to the grasslands.

Mikazo was glad when they made it off the sloping path and onto more level ground. It was a little easier to walk there. Then again, while he was walking on the stone slope, there was no grass to brush against his wounds. They were especially dry and brittle this time of year, especially with the dry season carrying on so long. He picked his way carefully though the stiff grass, trying to brush as few stalks as possible.

There were a few hills along the way to the waterhole, which Mikazo wasn't happy about, since they had both a slope and grass. Also not happy about it, he noticed, was Kiara, who was weaving through the grass, avoiding the stalks as much as she could, wincing every now and then as she brushed a particularly stiff stalk. Daka bounded up the hills without having to worry about wounds. It was good that the cub hadn't been injured in the jackal attack.

Finally, they reached the waterhole. Zazu fluttered down to the bank as the lions started drinking. Mikazo lapped at the water thirstily. It had been a while since he had last drank and it was a relief to be able to gulp freely and sooth his dry throat.

Once he'd drunk his fill, he laid down at the water's edge, intending to rest for a while before making the return trip to Pride Rock. The walk to the waterhole had been hard. The wounds on his legs, both fore and hind, as well as the claw and bite marks on his sides, hurt quite a bit, though it had only been a short walk and one that normally would not have been any trouble.

Kiara was also resting, laying on her stomach just next to the waterhole and watching Daka pounce on stalks of grass, flattening them beneath his paws. Zazu had flown up to a nearby tree and was perching on one of the lower branches, acting as a sentinel for the lions.

Mikazo was at peace as he rested his head on the ground. He was full and no longer thirsty, and the hot sun warmed his pelt. As the effort it had taken to walk to the waterhole had made him drowsy, another nap suddenly seemed just the thing. Though he had planned to just rest a bit before going back to the cave, he closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.


	15. The Circle of Life Continues

**I am very sorry for the long wait, I didn't mean for it to be this long. Part of it was because I couldn't figure out how to make a part of the chapter work, and just sorta gave up for a while. The other reason was that I started another story, a Banjo-Kazooie fanfiction, and I got distracted. From now on, I will do everything I can to update both stories regularly. Thank you ****so much to everyone who reviewed, and thank you to the ones, especially Starzinmieyez, who reminded me to update, it always helps to have motivation. I promise I will finish this story, and won't leave it for so long again. If at any time during the story anyone has any questions, finds any faults, etc. and would like a private answer from me, please sign in so the site will allow me to respond.**

_Mikazo was in a dark, shadowy area. The ground beneath his paws was uneven black stone, and the sky a swirl of turbulent gray clouds._

_Sensing something behind him, Mikazo whipped around. Glaring down at him was a massive hyena, its eyes a glowing yellow, its head raising far above his own, its dark, bristly mane sticking straight up. Mikazo crouched down, backing up in terror, as the hyena's jaws parted in a low laugh, its sharp teeth flashing huge and white._

_As the hyena took a threatening step toward him, Mikazo turned and ran, sprinting away from the giant predator. He then skidded to a stop, his pelt bristling in fear, as the hyena appeared out of the darkness in front of him, blocking his way. _

_Panicking, Mikazo once again tried to run, but the hyena swiped a black-furred paw at him before he could take more than a paw-step, knocking him onto his side. It stood over him, baring its teeth in a menacing grin. The hyena then lunged at him, open jaws ready to snap-_

He yelped and jumped, then woke to Simba's chuckle. That terrifying, monstrous hyena was really just the shadow cast by Simba as he leaned over Mikazo as he slept. Mikazo let out a sigh of relief, his fur flattening as his thudding heart slowed to normal. It was only a nightmare.

"Are you alright, Mikazo? I didn't mean to startle you. You shouldn't be leaping through the air with your injuries, you know."

For a fleeting moment Mikazo wanted to wipe that smile off Simba's face. There were a bunch of strange lions with him, and they were laughing, too. He wanted to be furious, but then he realized just how funny he must have looked. He chuckled sheepishly a bit himself as he sunk back down onto his belly. The jump didn't seem to have caused him any damage, which was good. He guessed if the situations were reversed, he'd be finding this pretty funny, too.

He gave in graciously. "I'm fine, thanks, Simba. You make a pretty large and scary hyena."

That made everyone start laughing again and now they were teasing Simba, so that worked out alright.

Mikazo looked at the Pride Landers who stood nearby. All of the lions who had gone together to track and fight the pack were injured, Simba worst of all because he had new wounds added to his old, and he looked like he needed treatment from Rafiki and abundant rest. The others had not escaped injury; Kovu had a few scratch marks on his legs and side, though none were deep. Nala had a bite on one of her shoulders and claw marks marring the rest of her coat. Kimada's muzzle had been clawed and his chest and stomach bore more wounds, but they weren't bad enough for there to be too much danger. All in all, he was glad to see that no one seemed to be particularly bad off from the most recent battle with the jackal pack, but he was still upset to see they had been injured at all.

Mikazo saw that Kiara and Zazu hadn't moved from where they had been when he fell asleep, so Simba and his group must have just arrived. Kiara was still lying down, but Daka was standing at her side. They were both awake and watching Simba and the visitors, newcomers who Mikazo didn't recognize at all. But at the moment, he was more concerned with hearing what the outcome of the battle with Erevu's jackal pack had been.

"Hey, how'd the battle go?" Mikazo asked Simba. "Is everyone okay? Did you win?"

"They're fine," Kiara said with a smile. "I already asked. I haven't heard the story of the battle yet."

Mikazo glanced up at Simba in concern, noting again just how exhausted the king looked, injured as he was, from both times the pride had clashed with the jackal pack. "You know, I'd bet that would be a great story to tell after dinner tonight," he said.

"That's a good idea," Simba agreed, before turning toward the newcomers. "Kiara, Mikazo, Daka, Zazu," he said, "I'd like you to meet our guests; King Msafiri, Queen Masa, their daughter, Azizi, Zawadi, Suluhu, and Vema." With a small thrust of his jaw, he indicated each of the visiting lions in turn.

At that, Mikazo looked at Kimada in surprise. Zawadi? Wasn't that his sister's name? Could there be two lions with such an unusual name? He was startled when his friend confirmed his thoughts and with a big grin on his face said, "Yes, this is my sister, she's alive and she's found us!"

As the lions greeted each other, there was a sudden rush of movement when Msafiri stumbled against his mate's sudden weight as she unexpectedly collapsed limply against him. Rafiki immediately rushed to Masa's other side and he and Msafiri lifted her between them. "Any lion in need of attention follow me. Any lion not in need of attention, follow me too, I'll need your help," Rafiki said to all of them.

No one even considered disobeying. You just didn't disobey Rafiki when he took charge. It took Mikazo and Simba longer than the rest, but with the help of Kimada and Nala, they got home as well.

As they reached the cave, Rafiki and Msafiri set Masa down gently along the wall closest to the place Nala and Simba slept. Simba walked by his daughter, saw that she was feeling a little better, licked the top of her head, walked to his spot and collapsed himself, his eyes falling shut immediately. Nala ran forward to help her mate.

Rafiki glanced over at Mikazo and Kiara, sighed, and got to work on Masa.

Later that day, Mikazo settled into his sleeping space, marveling once again at the ability of Rafiki to work so hard for so long on his lion charges. Now that darkness had fallen, most of the lions were asleep. There was a small crowd around the lioness, Masa. Her breathing, already raspy when she arrived at Pride Rock, seemed to be getting even harsher as the evening wore on.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Tumaini woke abruptly, blinking in the dim moonlight that shone into their cave. She and the other lionesses lay in a group, a good distance away from the center of the cave, where Jinamizi slept.

Her ears twitched as they caught again the noise that had awoken her. It was the sound of a lioness crying quietly, an all too familiar sound. Uzuri lay near the wall a few feet from Tumaini, her head on her paws as her body shook with muffled sobs. Tumaini knew that her friend was missing her son, Jamili. Understandably, Uzuri had not been sleeping well since Jamili had been killed by the lion who was now their king. Tumaini glanced to her other side, where Nuru and Cheneta lay nearby. Both still slept. Tumaini scooted over to Uzuri and leaned comfortingly against the other lioness.

"Trouble sleeping again?" Tumaini asked softly, her heart aching at her friend's grief.

Uzuri nodded, then turned her head to look at Tumaini. The dark-tan fur of her face was darkened further with tear tracks and her voice was hoarse when she spoke, quietly enough that the others' rest wouldn't be disturbed. "I'm sorry for waking you, Tumaini."

"It's alright," Tumaini said. Which was true, she didn't mind the loss of sleep. She wished there were a way to ease Uzuri's grief, but since she couldn't do that, she could at least be there for her, offer her the warmth of friendship, listen to her as she talked her way through her sorrow.

"Why did he have to kill my little guy?" Uzuri asked plaintively. "He was just learning to pounce."

"It wasn't fair," Tumaini agreed sadly. "And someday he'll pay for it."

Uzuri nodded again, and then sighed. "Remember when Jamili was practicing his pounce and jumped from that boulder onto Cheneta?" she asked wistfully.

The young cub had climbed up on a small boulder that was near their cave, and hid there. Then, when Cheneta started into the grasslands to go on a hunt, Jamili launched himself off the boulder and landed right on Cheneta's back in a surprise attack. Tumaini, Uzuri and Nuru watched him do it, since it had happened fairly close to their cave and they had been resting outside in the sunshine with a clear range of sight to the event.

Tumaini smiled at the memory. "Yeah, I'd never seen Cheneta jump so high before."

Uzuri chuckled weakly at that, placing her head back on her fore-paws. The poor lioness was obviously still very upset, and Tumaini continued to press close to her grieving friend. Eventually Uzuri closed her eyes and fell asleep. Tumaini followed shortly after, dreaming of the precocious little cub that once graced their pride.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The morning after the Pride Landers tracked down and defeated the jackals, the light that was cast by the rising sun was dimmed by clouds that threw dark shadows on the land beneath them. It was a gloomy sight that seemed fitting. In the cave where Pride Rock's inhabitants rested, despite Rafiki's best efforts, the queen of the visiting pride, Masa, passed away. Her pride mates surrounded her as she breathed her last. It seemed as though, seeing that her daughter, mate, and pride were finally safe, the weakened lioness had given in.

Mikazo, who Kimada had caught up to date on the events of the day before, watched sadly as Masa's pride mourned, Msafiri and Azizi understandably taking it worse than the others. The king was trying to comfort his distraught daughter through his own grief.

After a while, when the members of Msafiri's pride had calmed somewhat, Simba approached the visiting king. "Msafiri, you're welcome to stay on as long as you'd like," he offered quietly. "We have plenty of room here, and the prey, though a bit scarce right now with the rains being late, should be plentiful again soon because there are signs that it won't be long before the rains return."

Msafiri looked up to meet Simba's eyes and drew a shuddering breath. "Thank you, Simba. I guess we will need a little time to think about what we'll do next. We've just been so focused for so long on finding help for Masa that we haven't really thought beyond that." Msafiri's voice broke as he finished speaking, and his eyes closed as his shoulders shook. Mikazo felt a painful stab of sympathy for the lion and his equally heartbroken cub.

"Take as much time as you need." Simba nodded and returned to his mate and daughter to see that they were not in need of anything before settling in next to Nala to rest his own body with its myriad of injuries. Before closing his eyes he glanced over at Mikazo, then fell asleep satisfied that all who were hurt had all they need and were quietly resting while they healed.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, which dawned bright and breezy, as Kimada and Zawadi walked down Pride Rock's path into the grasslands, heading toward the waterhole for a drink, Kimada spotted a lion over in the burial grounds. From here, all he could make out was that the lion had a dark red mane and that he was sitting vigil by the newly turned dirt that Masa had been buried in the day before, laying her to rest alongside generations of Pride Landers.

"Isn't that Msafiri?" Kimada asked his sister, waving his tail in the lion's direction.

"I think so," Zawadi said. "I wonder if he's been there all night." She sighed. "He really did love her. We all did." She paused a moment, then continued, "Say, Kimada, I was wondering, last night, when we said goodbye to her at her grave, why did you and your pride come, but stand back behind us?"

Kimada shrugged. "Simba said that we'd be intruding if we came too close, but we wanted to pay our respects, so we came and stood back," he explained. Zawadi nodded in understanding, and then Kimada asked, "Are you going on the hunt with us later?"

"You're going?" Zawadi asked, surprised. "Guys don't usually hunt, do they? In our pride they don't."

"Yeah, we hear that all the time when we have visitors," Kimada said with a grin. "It used to be that way in our pride, too. Again I have to say 'Simba says', but it was him. He said we can't let the ladies have all the fun, so everyone is encouraged to hunt. Personally, I think he just doesn't want the lionesses to have to do all the work."

Zawadi smiled. "I like Simba," she said. "Sure, I'll go on the hunt with you."

The siblings got to the waterhole, which was much lower than it should be and made Kimada hope that Simba's prediction that the rains would return soon came true quickly. They drank, and then returned to Pride Rock. Once at the base of the stone monolith, Kimada spoke. "After we see how Mikazo's doing, do you want to come with me when I take Daka out for our morning walk? Mikazo and I usually do it together, playing with Daka, but Mikazo's not up to it right now, and I don't wanna disappoint the little guy."

"Sure, sounds like fun," she agreed. "Should we also ask Azizi if she'd like to come along? She's not much older than Daka and she just lost her mom. It might help her a little to come for a walk with us."

"Good idea," Kimada said.

They found Mikazo awake, learning against one of the cave walls to help him balance, and twisting carefully to lick a wound on his side. He looked up as they walked toward him, and Kimada butted heads with him in greeting.

"How are ya doing, Mikazo?" Kimada asked.

"I'm pretty sure I'm almost healed," Mikazo said with a small smile. "I'll be fine, soon."

"You sure don't look alright," Zawadi interjected wryly.

Kimada glanced at her, then at Mikazo, having to agree. "Well, maybe not almost," he corrected, looking over his friend's light brown pelt, which was marked with many scratches and bites. On the upside, most of the wounds had closed and appeared to be healing well. They looked as if they were probably still very painful, but also as though they were beyond the stage where they would reopen if bumped, except perhaps for the one on his neck, but it was healing as well. Rafiki really knew his stuff. "But you're getting there," Kimada finished.

"I'm feeling much better!" Mikazo promised. "Though I think I'll skip our morning play-time with Daka, and the hunt, too. But maybe later today we could get out a little?" It was obvious that Mikazo was getting bored with laying around in the cave, a sentiment Kimada could easily sympathize with after being so sick himself.

"Count on it. After we hunt and everyone eats?" Kimada suggested.

"Alright," Mikazo agreed, standing and stretching his legs carefully before sitting back down.

"Okay, we'll be back then to pick you up," Kimada said.

Kimada was also concerned about Simba, who'd led their group the day before yesterday in the attack on the jackals despite his illness and the injuries he'd received from their attack on the pride. And Kiara, too, had been ill and injured, almost as badly as Mikazo. Fortunately, Mikazo was looking better, and hopefully Simba and Kiara were, too.

Mikazo's spot in the cave wasn't far from that of Simba and family but at first glance, they weren't in their spot resting and healing. Kimada grinned; he should have guessed. There was Simba over there with Kudura. He appeared to be discussing the day's hunt with her. He looked sore but otherwise okay, having rested a lot over the last day and a half. His wounds from the first battle with the pack were almost healed, though the new wounds weren't there yet.

Kiara wasn't even in the cave, so, saying goodbye to Mikazo, Kimada walked out into the sunshine where he found her stretching and answering about a thousand questions from Daka. It did appear as if life was returning to normal around here. It looked like everyone was over the illness now, which was a very good thing because that had lasted forever.

"Adorable little cub!" Zawadi said to Kiara, walking up to them.

"Thanks." Kiara smiled.

"I'm not little!" Daka protested indignantly. "Watch!" The two and a quarter month old cub drew himself up to his full height- which was a little less than halfway up the bigger lion's legs- took a deep breath, his fur puffing out, and let out a tiny roar.

"Nice one, Daka!" Kimada said brightly.

"Yeah, it's a great roar," Zawadi told him as she sat down. "My brother here was hopeless at it when he was your age."

"Hey!" Kimada flicked his tail, pretending offense. It wasn't very hard to do.

"Is this the mighty cub we've been looking for?" Zawadi asked him.

"Yep, this is just the guy. Kiara, may we borrow this young lion for a morning of running wild, attacking enemies, and rolling in the dust?" Kimada asked.

Kiara laughed and said, "Please do!"

They said goodbye to Kiara as she gave her cub a nuzzle. Zawadi led Daka and Kimada into the cave, saying, "Now let's check if Azizi wants to come."

"Is Mikazo coming, too?" Daka asked hopefully, trotting at Kimada's side.

"Mikazo will be back with us soon, he just needs to heal a bit more first," Kimada said.

"Oh, okay," Daka said, frowning.

They found Azizi with her pride mates, Suluhu and Vema. The little cub was leaning against Vema's side with her paws tucked under her as the two adult lionesses talked with Nala.

"Hello," Zawadi said to Nala, dipping her head in respect to the queen. When Nala responded in kind, Zawadi casually added, "Hey, guys," to her pride mates.

"We're going to play with Daka," Kimada announced, "and wanted to ask if Azizi would like to come along."

"That should be okay," Suluhu said, looking at Vema.

"I don't think Msafiri will mind," the grayish-brown lioness confirmed.

"What do you think, Azizi, want to come?" Zawadi softly asked the silvery-tan cub, half-crouching down to her young pride mate's level.

Azizi shrugged a little. "Okay," she agreed in a subdued way, looking up at them with little interest.

Nala nodded. "Good idea. I was just about to show Vema and Suluhu around the Pride Lands, and it would be boring for a cub," she said.

"Alright, let's go!" Daka said, dashing toward the cave entrance. Kimada, Zawadi and Azizi followed him, and they headed down into the Savannah.

The four of them went to the field that Mikazo and Kimada always went to play with Daka. Once there, they went through several of their favorite games, though Azizi held back at first, not being very much in the mood to play. But she was a cub, and after a while, couldn't resist the fun of playing with the others. As for Kimada and Zawadi, both were thrilled to be playing again with each other again. They had played together every day before they got separated, and had missed it- had missed each other- desperately. Daka, of course, was having a blast, even though all three of the others were larger than he was. Even Azizi was taller than him since she was several months older.

Once they finished the games, they started to head back to Pride Rock, pausing every now and then as Daka occasionally started up a tussle with his new play-mate, who, though she wasn't consistently cheerful, was much happier than she had been before they went out to play.

When they returned, Msafiri was back in the cave again. Azizi ran up to her father, rubbing against his leg, and Msafiri seemed glad that her spirits had improved a little, though it would be a long while before either could live without feeling pain at the loss of Masa.

Vema and Suluhu had also returned from Nala's tour of the Pride Lands, and were resting in a shadowy part of the cave, probably to cool off from their trek under the hot sun. Msafiri and Azizi went to join their pride mates.

Daka scampered off to find his parents and show them his pounce, which he had been working on as they played. Kimada, Zawadi and Azizi had been his targets.

All was quiet in the Pride Lands, and Kimada and Zawadi, tired out from playing, decided to take a nap until it was time for the hunt. They found a sun-warmed stone and curled up on it, snuggled against each other, brother and sister united again.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The hunters headed out with Nala in the lead. Because they now had even more mouths to feed, they were planning to target large prey, of which they had several choices, so the hunting party was a large one. Nala was leading it; and Kimada, Vitani, Kudura, Mwezi, Huni, and several others from Simba's pride joined in. Also hunting with the Pride Landers today were Zawadi, of course, and Suluhu, both from Msafiri's pride.

When one of the Royal Family- Simba, Nala, Kiara, or Kovu- joined in a hunt, Kudura's position as lead hunter would pass to them unless they said otherwise. In that case, Kudura would lead the hunt as she always had. This time, however, Nala chose to lead the hunt.

They had left behind several healthy lions along with the ones whose injuries were in the process of healing. The pride wasn't willing to risk a repeat of what had happened last time when they left only one able lion behind. With the jackals gone, though, there was no real chance of that happening again. The lions of Pride Rock were on good terms with all the other animals, like the leopards, who might have posed a slight threat if they cared to.

The sun, near the peak of its daily path, was covered by wispy clouds. This both helped and hampered the hunters, by keeping the sunlight from shining in the lions' eyes and blinding them, while unfortunately also doing the same for their prey.

Since the dry season had gone on so long, the ground was too hard to absorb the sound of their paw-steps. And the grass had dried to the point where the slightest touch made a loud crunch, which meant they had to tread with even more care than usually taken while hunting if they were to move silently.

Kimada padded quietly beside his sister, watching the other lions all but vanish as they weaved carefully through the grass. They passed herds of many kinds; gazelle, zebra, wildebeest and more, but none of the animals were large enough to feed the whole pride.

Suddenly, Nala, who walked at the head of the group, paused and crouched low to the ground, causing the lions following her to do the same. Kimada slowly raised his head above grass-level to see what their queen had spotted. He very quickly saw it. A mass of gray stood near a small group of trees, the thick leathery-skinned animals raising their trunks to pluck what little leaves the trees still offered. Nala had spotted a herd of elephants, and seemed to be intending their party to take down one of the behemoths.

Nala fell back to stand among the others. "Now, there aren't enough of us to catch a young adult," she said. "So we'll have to target an old one."

It would be too hard to signal the others that they'd found a good target elephant without alerting the herd if they split up, so Nala led the way as the hunters slowly circled the herd as a group, scanning their ranks for a weak, older member.

"There!" Nyota hissed suddenly, her voice too low to carry to any but the other lions.

The silvery lioness jerked her muzzle at the elephant she had sighted; an elderly cow. Because she was female, the elephant had short tusks, and wasn't quite as large as the males. The dry season hadn't yet truly begun to affect the lions because they fed on other animals, while the dry season killed plants. As such, the plant-eaters would be the first to go hungry, and it was only then, as their prey starved and became thinner, that the lions would begin to have trouble. By this point, the herbivores hadn't been getting as much to eat as they needed, especially the older ones. So this elephant was weakened by both age and hunger, making her a perfect target for predators, such as a pride of hungry lions. And though thinner than the other elephants, this one was still large enough to easily feed the whole pride. Now, they just needed to bring her down.

"Nicely spotted, Nyota," Nala praised, taking a step toward the herd. "We'll have to separate it from the herd; the last thing we want is to be caught in an elephant stampede. Once it's away from the others, attack it from the rear."

Kimada could understand the reason for the last part of Nala's order. Even though their target's tusks were short, they could still be dangerous. And Kimada knew that elephants had plenty of power in their trunks.

They waited, their bodies low to the ground, for an opportunity. After a while, it came when the target elephant, having taken the leaves from the part of the trees it could reach that weren't already being eaten by the others, took a few steps away from its herd to pull some tall, dry grass stalks from the ground.

In an instant, the lions lunged forward, rushing by the herd, causing a few members to let out loud trumpets of alarm. They cut in between their prey and its herd, while staying out of range of the latters' trunks and tusks. Kimada glanced back and forth between their target and the other elephants, not liking being so near to so many scared, angry and massive animals, prey or not. Thankfully, the rest of the herd scattered, getting out of range themselves.

The elderly elephant let out a trumpet of fear when she saw the hunters that had placed themselves between her and her herd and, stamping the ground, she tried to run around them to rejoin her kind. At a signal from Nala, half of the lions ran alongside the elephant, growling intimidatingly, and swiping at her side while staying away from her front, as Nala had suggested. Though their claws did little damage, the point was to keep her from getting back to her herd by blocking her path and keeping her occupied. As half the hunters did this, the other half, Kimada and Zawadi among them, lunged at the back of the elephant.

Kimada swiped his claws against one of her hind legs before leaping away to avoid the stomp that followed, then repeated the attack. Several others were doing the same. Nala and Huni lunged upward, trying to climb onto the elephant's back. But their claws couldn't get a grip on the thick leathery skin, and they fell off, Huni narrowly avoiding a kick; Zawadi attacked the elephant's leg before the huge foot could strike Huni, clawing at it and allowing the other lioness time to scramble away.

The old elephant was now completely panicked, twisting and turning, trying desperately to rejoin her herd, which had run a good distance away. Some of the lions who had been attacking its side to keep it from returning to the herd joined the other lions in attacking it from behind, a tactic that was working well, since their prey was beginning to stumble from the wounds on its back legs. When a particularly bad stumble brought it closer to the ground, Nala leapt for its back again, this time successfully holding on. Kimada half-watched, still doing what he could to take it down, as Nala climbed her way up the trumpeting elephant's back, then clamped her jaws shut just behind its head.

Their prey's movements were slowing, though it still tried with all its might to escape. The lions were wearing it down.

The hunters continued in this way, the ones on the ground attacking its legs while Nala held on to its neck tenaciously, until the elephant gave a final weak shudder. Its legs folded and the giant animal sank to the ground, letting out a defeated sigh. Kudura joined Nala on its back, and the group finished it off as quickly as they could.

Once done, Nala slid off its back, leaping to the ground. "Good work, everyone," she panted. "You all worked together excellently."

All of the lions sat down to rest for a moment.

Kimada stared at the fallen elephant, his own sides heaving. Nothing he'd ever hunted before had been as hard to take down as this elephant, and he felt a rush of pride; for himself, and for his pride mates and friends. He also felt respect for the elephant, which had taken quite a few lions a good while to take down.

He looked over at the herd of elephants. They were far enough away now that he couldn't make out individuals, just the herd as a unit.

Once everyone had caught their breath, Kudura voiced a problem that Kimada hadn't thought of; "We can't take this back to the cave, it's far too heavy. We'll have to send someone to fetch the others."

Nala nodded. "You're right, Kudura," she said, before turning toward Vitani. "Vitani, will you go back to Pride Rock and bring the others here?"

"Will do," Vitani said, getting to her paws. The tawny lioness turned and set off toward their home, moving briskly.

Kimada lay down on his stomach, as did some of the others, to wait for the rest of the lions to join them before they began to eat.


	16. Wet Dry World

**What do you get when you suddenly pack up and move an hour and a half away and just as you're settling in your entire hard drive crashes and you lose everything? A VERY late chapter, that's what. My apologies. Mention in your review if you recognize where the chapter title came from.**

Mikazo sat outside the cave in the sunlight. He had been bored for a while, being thoroughly tired of just sitting around and healing. Kimada was still out with the hunters so he couldn't snag him for a game or chat. Mikazo had passed the time with a game of Pebble Toss with Daka; the two of them had taken turns skidding a pebble off of Pride Rock and seeing how far it would go before they lost track of it or it hit the ground. The game had been Daka's idea, and had chased away the boredom for a time, or at least it did until Kiara took Daka away for his bath.

So now, without Daka to distract him from his boredom, Mikazo was watching Timon and Pumbaa, who, he was pleased to note, were proving quite entertaining. At the moment, the warthog and meerkat duo were discussing why things came back down to the ground when they'd been in the air, perhaps having seen Mikazo and Daka playing Pebble Toss.

"Well," Pumbaa said, "I thought it was because an object in motion stayed in motion unless acted upon by an outside force, and that there's some kind of force that pulls things back down." The reddish-brown warthog looked at his friend, appearing to hope Timon would confirm that he was right.

Instead, the meerkat scoffed. "That's completely stupid!" he said. "Now, listen, and I'll tell ya the real reason." Pumbaa looked at him expectantly and Timon lifted a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "Things fall back down to the ground," he explained importantly, "because all this stuff belongs to the ground and the ground wants to keep its stuff. You can throw it, but the ground will always take it back."

"But how do birds stay up in the sky?" Pumbaa asked, curious and somewhat awed.

Timon opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking confused. "Don't ask stupid questions, Pumbaa," he said after a moment, crossing his arms.

Mikazo chuckled to himself. Watching those two almost made being stuck up here and forced to rest, enjoyable. But the show was over for now, so with a sigh, Mikazo rolled onto his back. He stared up at the slowly passing fluffy white clouds that were drifting across the light blue sky, and rather wished they were gray and heavy with rain. The air was very dry from what seemed to be an eternity without rain. It was also very hot, and pressed down on the animals of the Savannah with a heat that felt almost solid. Mikazo felt a little overheated under his dark brown mane, which, though still not full grown, had been thickening a little over the last few weeks. The heat and his boredom made him feel lethargic, and so he just let several long minutes pass where he did nothing but lay there and watch the sky.

At the sound of paw-steps, Mikazo rolled back onto his stomach and raised his head to see Vitani, one of the lions who had gone on the hunt. She was walking up the path to Pride Rock.

"Hey, everybody!" she called out, reaching the top of the slope. "We brought down an elephant, but can't bring it here, so you're going to have to come with me if you want to help us eat it." Vitani laughed at some of their shocked expressions as she headed back down to the ground below. It was unusual, to say the least, for a few lions to down an elephant. Mikazo was certainly impressed. They'd eat well tonight.

A few of the pride sighed, thinking of the walk ahead with their recoveries as yet incomplete. But most of the others seemed relieved at the chance to stretch their legs. Glad that he finally could do more than just lay resting, Mikazo got to his paws and started toward the slope. Simba stood, arched his back in a quick stretch, and walked down to stand next to Vitani, who would lead them to their meal. He had pride in his eyes; you could tell he liked that they'd managed to kill an elephant, and he bumped heads with his son-in-law's sister. The rest of the pride, as well as the visiting lions, joined the group as they headed out across the Savannah plains.

It was rather slow going as they walked only at the speed of the slowest lion. It was a sedate walk for the healthy ones who were eager to get at that elephant, but they were a close-knit bunch and no one resented the pace.

As the walk continued, Mikazo noticed Msafiri pick up his young daughter, who'd been falling behind, by her scruff, holding her gently as she dangled from his muzzle. He would probably carry her the rest of the way. Daka was walking in between Kovu and Kiara. Though Daka was too young to eat meat, they couldn't leave him back at Pride Rock when every lion member of the pride was out. Mikazo wondered if little Daka would eventually be carried as well, but he imagined it would be an awful blow to the little guy's pride. Kovu was watching both his injured mate and his young son closely on the walk, ready to help should they need it.

Mikazo was moving slowly, himself. As glad as he was to be back out in the Savannah rather than resting, it was still painful to move at anything faster than a frustratingly slow walk.

Soon enough, though, the other lions and their prey came into sight. The two groups merged at the fallen elephant, exchanging causal greetings, and, in the case of the ones who had stayed at Pride Rock while the others hunted, offering congratulations on bringing down such a challenging prey.

"Hey, Mikazo!" Kimada said with a grin, as Mikazo walked up to Zawadi and his friend. The siblings were sitting together along the side of the elephant, waiting for the others to get settled.

Mikazo had been as surprised as everyone else to find out that Kimada's sister was alive. Though, of course, the members of Simba's pride were also surprised to discover that Kimada had a sister in the first place. Kimada had been practically walking on air since Msafiri's pride arrived in the Pride Lands. It was obvious the source of his happiness was his sister, Zawadi. Mikazo wondered for a moment why he wasn't feeling at all jealous. After all, until now he hadn't had to share his friend with anyone. But Zawadi was a pretty special lioness and she really loved her brother. Somehow, it wasn't hard at all to share in Kimada's joy.

As he sat down beside his friend, Azizi dashed away from her father, who had just said something to her, and ran up to them. Msafiri followed more slowly. "My dad said it was okay to eat with you guys!" Azizi told them brightly. She looked over at Daka, who sat nearby with his parents, and stood proud, her back straight and head raised. "I'm big enough to eat meat now," she announced to the other, younger cub. Then she looked sad, the excitement in her green eyes dimming as she paused. "Though I do miss my mom," she added quietly, obviously remembering that she couldn't drink milk from Masa anymore; remembering that her mother was gone.

"Azizi's been on a half-milk, half-meat diet since Masa got sick," Zawadi explained to Kimada and Mikazo in a low voice. "It would have used up too much of her energy for her mom to feed her all she needed. She was just too sick."

Msafiri nuzzled his daughter consolingly as Zawadi spoke, and Azizi glanced up at him. She seemed surprised to see that he'd followed her, apparently not having noticed him doing so. Msafiri looked at the young lions. "Thank you for taking her out to play this morning, she really enjoyed it," he said to Zawadi and Kimada. "Would it be alright for her to eat with you?"

"Of course!" Zawadi answered, instantly shifting to the side to make room for her pride mate. Mikazo and Kimada agreed as well.

"Thank you," Msafiri said. "Zawadi, would you tear off strips of meat for her, please?"

"Sure," Zawadi assured him, as Azizi sat down next to her. The cub was looking up in amazement at the size of the elephant, which dwarfed her considerably. In fact, Mikazo noticed it did that for all of them. The adult lions, as well as Kimada, Zawadi, and Mikazo himself, who were almost full grown, yet looked hardly bigger than cubs themselves next to its massive bulk.

With a nod and a smile, Msafiri moved a short distance away to eat beside Simba and Nala.

"You haven't tried this before," Zawadi said to Azizi, as she pulled some meat off a haunch and dropped it in front of the cub. Azizi, who would be unable to tear such a thick-skinned piece of meat herself for a while yet, accepted the meal gratefully.

Azizi wasn't the only one in the group to have never yet eaten elephant. Mikazo was another. And, with some surprise, he agreed with Kimada that it was very different from antelope or giraffe, or anything else they had ever eaten for that matter.

There were over twenty lions sharing this meal tonight, yet it was still a long while before their feast was over.

Despite it still being fairly early in the day, and Mikazo having had plenty of sleep recently, he realized he felt pleasantly drowsy from the walk to the feast and all the meat he ate. He yawned widely, getting to his paws in a long, leisurely stretch.

"You look beat," Kimada said. "Happy, but beat. Why don't we all just walk back to the cave together and go for a longer walk tomorrow?"

Mikazo thought about protesting. He'd wanted to do things with his friends today and was tired of being an invalid. But now, after the walk that was made long by injuries, he was realizing how little energy he had left in him. "Good idea," Mikazo said, sighing.

He padded beside Kimada as they headed back to Pride Rock. As he walked he stared down at his paws and the little dust puffs they kicked up with every step. As happened so often, he couldn't help wondering how his pride mates were doing. And in his current state, what could he possibly do to get his pride back? Right now he wasn't even well enough to train, and trying to defeat the rogue in battle was a hopeless venture more than ever.

"Hey, Mikazo, what's up?" Kimada asked, noticing his preoccupied state.

"I'm just thinking about my pride," Mikazo answered, glancing up at his friend. "If walking to the elephant tired me out so much, how long will it be until I can help my pride mates?" He thrashed his tail at the thought of his pride mates living under Jinamizi's rule because he wasn't able to help them.

"It shouldn't be long now before you're better and back to training," Kimada said encouragingly.

Mikazo nodded. He knew that Kimada was likely right, his injuries would heal completely soon enough, and that training and the resultant skills would play an indispensable part in regaining his pride. But he couldn't help but think of how far away from being able to save his pride he would still be even when he was once again able to train for battle. He was still no match for Jinamizi, he was aware.

"You have your own pride, Mikazo?" Zawadi asked, surprised. "I thought you were from this pride."

"No, Simba's just letting me stay here until I can get my own pride back," Mikazo explained. "I was the prince of my pride, and a rogue challenged my father for the kingdom. He won, and I ran before he could kill me. That's what he did to my mother and father. He killed them." Mikazo was still somewhat ashamed for running from his parents' killer, though he knew there was nothing he could have done to avenge them at the time. He'd been too outmatched by far by Jinamizi back then, and, injured as he was right now, that hadn't changed. "He didn't need to kill them to get the throne, he'd already won. But he killed them anyway." Mikazo let out a sigh. "After a while of traveling I ended up here," he continued, "and, like I said, Simba's let me stay. He and a few of the others, like Nala, are training me to fight so I can get my pride back."

Mikazo shook his head. "It's been so long, almost three months I think, since my parents were killed and I lost my pride. And it will be months more before I'm ready. That rogue isn't a good ruler, I've seen that. He's horrible to my pride mates. What kind of damage can that lion do in that time?"

Mikazo, who had closed his eyes, trying, and failing, not to imagine what Jinamizi might be doing to his pride and pride mates, felt Kimada brush against his side, and Zawadi bump his shoulder with her head, before they both fell into step beside him. Though still unable to get his mind off of his worry, Mikazo sent them grateful looks, glad for their support.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo slept fitfully that night, his dreams haunted with visions of a cruel lion murdering his parents, mistreating his pride mates, and standing in his father's place at the head of Mikazo's pride.

It was with relief that he woke in the morning to the sounds of Rafiki examining the members of the pride to see how they were healing. The Shaman mandrill went from lion to lion, swiftly and thoroughly checking over their wounds.

When it was his turn, Mikazo obediently held still as Rafiki examined his own wounds, of which many of the more shallow ones had healed entirely. Once done, Rafiki told Mikazo that he was on the mend, and that most of his injuries would be healed soon; only the bite that marked his neck would take a while yet to heal the rest of the way.

Mikazo sat and watched as Rafiki finished checking on the rest of the pride, and then reported his findings to Simba: All the lions and lionesses were either healed completely or were healing without complications.

Mikazo smiled at that. He felt better again today and hoped that soon he'd be able to make the journey back to check on the lionesses of his pride, and see what was happening in his old lands. He would have to talk to Simba about it when the Lion King had some free time.

Getting to his paws slightly more easily than his injuries had allowed the past few days, though still somewhat stiffly, Mikazo walked out of the cave and into the early morning sunlight that shone onto the promontory, warming the stone and giving it a golden-brown glow.

When he had thoroughly stretched out all of the kinks from a long night of restless sleep, Mikazo stepped to the promontory's edge and stared out at the Pride Lands, admiring the beauty of the sprawling landscape and wondering when the rains would come. Though the land was undeniably beautiful even now, much of the grass had turned brown from thirst and even from where he stood on Pride Rock he could see that the lakes and winding river were much lower than they should be. The rainfall was certainly overdue and would be very welcome when it came.

"Hey, Mikazo!" Mikazo looked around to see Kimada padding out of the cave and up to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, today," Mikazo said, smiling. "How about you?" He was glad to see that the claw marks on Kimada's muzzle were now unnoticeable, the cuts having sealed, and the fur that was torn off having regrown. They had been the worst wounds Kimada had received when the Pride Landers chased down the black-backed jackal pack three days ago. Fortunately, they hadn't been terribly deep.

"Feeling great!" Kimada grinned. "Ready for that walk?"

"Definitely," Mikazo enthusiastically replied. It had been nice to get out on the Savannah when they feasted on the downed elephant, and though walking there had tired Mikazo out then, he didn't want to spend any more time today than he had to resting.

"Don't worry, I'll walk extra slow so you can keep up," Kimada said, laughing.

"You just wait until I'm healed," Mikazo told him. "We'll see who has to slow down for the other."

Kimada laughed again. "Yeah, we'll see," he agreed.

"Hi, guys!" They turned at the cheerful greeting to see Daka bounding out of the cave, bolting toward them at full speed. He almost ran straight into the two larger lions, but checked himself and skidded to a halt at the last moment, and then looked up at his friends with bright eyes and a wide grin.

"Hey, Daka!" they chorused. Then Kimada added, "Want to come along on our walk? We can go exploring. It can be our morning play-time."

Daka looked affronted. "You were going to leave without me, weren't you?"

Mikazo looked at Kimada and through fast thinking and unspoken consent they both shouted versions of "No! Of course not! We were coming to get you."

"Okay," Daka said happily. He was clearly excited at the thought of playing with both Mikazo and Kimada again. The last time Kimada and Daka had played together, Mikazo had been too injured to join in, though Zawadi and Azizi had gone.

Since everyone had gotten sick, and then the jackals had attacked, it had been around a week and a half since all three of them had last played together, and to a cub, that was forever. And to Mikazo as well, for that matter; he couldn't wait to get back to playing with Daka and Kimada.

Feeling a little guilty that they had almost forgotten to ask Daka along on the walk, Mikazo turned to the small cub and asked, "Do you want to go with just us, Daka, or would you like to see if anyone else would like to come along?"

Daka bounced on his paws, waving his tail high above his head. "How about Azizi? She's fun to play with!"

Mikazo smiled. "Sure, she might want to," he agreed. "But we should probably check with Msafiri, first."

"Let's go!" Daka dashed back into the cave with Mikazo and Kimada right behind him. Msafiri and his daughter were off to one side.

Azizi stood beside her father, pawing lightly at his dark red tail-tip, which flickered back and forth along the cave floor for her to chase. The visiting king looked up as they approached. "Hello, there," he said when he saw them.

Mikazo and Kimada echoed the greeting, but before Mikazo could ask him if Azizi could come along, Daka bounded forward, springing playfully onto the silvery-tan cub and sending them both tumbling.

"Daka!" Azizi protested from where she lay on her back with Daka standing over her, his paws holding her down by the chest.

"Hey, Azizi!" Daka responded cheerfully, swatting at her ear. He didn't seem to take into account that the other, somewhat older cub was larger than him until she shoved him off, rolled to her paws, and then sprang at him in return.

"We wanted to ask if Azizi could come along on our walk," Mikazo said to Msafiri over the sound of the tussling cubs.

"Of course," Msafiri agreed readily. "And do you mind if I come, too? I could use the walk."

"This'll be fun!" Azizi exclaimed, releasing the struggling Daka. "Can we go now?" she asked, reaching up and tugging on her father's ear in an attempt to make him stand.

"Sure, we'd love you to come!" Mikazo said in answer to Msafiri, who then obliged Azizi, getting to his paws. Mikazo was somewhat surprised that the other lion wanted to come, but he thought it might be fun. He also wouldn't mind the chance to talk to Msafiri, who seemed like a good lion from what Mikazo had seen of him so far.

"The more the better!" Kimada grinned. "Speaking of that, where's Zawadi?" he added, glancing around for his sister. "She should come, too."

"I'm right here, and come where?" Zawadi strolled over to them from farther back in the cave. Mikazo now noticed that Vema and Suluhu were back there, resting in the deeper, and so cooler, shadows; Zawadi must have been sitting with her two pride mates.

"We're going on a walk, and playing while we do," Kimada said, indicating Mikazo, Msafiri, Azizi, Daka and himself with a wave of his tail. "Wanna come?"

"Alright, sounds like a good plan. Count me in!" Zawadi nodded.

The group of six then headed out of the cave and down the slope into the Pride Lands, trading the hot stone for the grass and cracked ground.

Daka and Azizi, being much shorter than the others, almost vanished in the tall grass as they bounded into it, leaping at and around each other in a mix of tag and play-fighting.

Since it was a hot day, they all thought that stopping at the waterhole was a good idea. Then they would continue their walk around the Pride Lands. Msafiri was curious about the Pride Landers' territory. As for Azizi, she and Daka just wanted to play and explore. Though Daka lived in the Pride Lands, he had not yet seen every corner of it, and he was just as excited about exploration as Azizi was.

Once they arrived at the waterhole, Mikazo thought about how much farther down the slope he had to go before reaching the water. It had dried up a lot more than he expected in the last few days. Though, thankfully, there was still water to be had, he felt it wouldn't be long before there simply wasn't enough for all the animals in the Pride Lands to drink. He knew the river was just as low as the waterhole, and that it, too, was in danger of drying.

Unknowingly voicing Mikazo's thoughts, Msafiri raised his head from the water and said, "The dry season has had quite an effect here, this waterhole is low."

"Yeah," Kimada said, not at all cheerfully, which showed his deep concern more than his words could. "It would be nice if it would rain soon. Simba did say it would and he's usually right. You should see the Pride Lands when the rains come. It's so much more beautiful than it is now, it just bursts with life." Kimada was obviously proud of the Pride Lands and Mikazo could hardly blame him. Even in a drought the area was unequaled in beauty.

Msafiri glanced around at the surrounding land. "Since this already seems to be a wonderful territory to live in, I'm sure that would be a sight to behold," he said with obvious sincerity.

"It probably would be," Zawadi agreed with her king, taking a step back to avoid being tripped by Daka and Azizi, who raced past the group, splashing through the water as they did. The two cubs had apparently decided to forgo immediately getting a drink in favor of playing.

Mikazo knew that he, himself would certainly like to see how the Pride Lands looked in full bloom. By the time he had arrived here, the dry season had already begun to dim the land's colors, so Mikazo had never seen the territory at its best.

"Hopefully it will rain soon," Msafiri said after a short pause. "Lack of water was the reason we had to leave our own territory. Our rivers and lakes were completely dry by the time we finally decided we had to leave, nearly a month ago. Our home was much farther downstream, though, which is why it dried up earlier than it is doing here."

"I know what you mean. The rains really are late this year," Mikazo commented, staring at a dry patch of Savannah grass. "Last year when I was back at my own pride, I remember the rains had already started by now and the grasses were green." Mikazo had been around eight months old then, and he remembered that he had rarely been dry for months, since the rain hardly ever seemed to let up. How it had been last year was a stark contrast to how it was at the moment, with the dry season dragging on.

"Oh, I didn't know you weren't from here," Msafiri said.

"Yeah, I was driven from my pride almost three months ago, and Simba took me in," Mikazo told him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the other lion said, frowning. "How did that come about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My dad was king, and this rogue lion named Jinamizi came and killed my parents." Mikazo growled to himself, remembering how Jinamizi had stalked up to their cave and challenged Mikazo's father. He had been acting as though the throne was already his even before the battle between the king and the rogue had begun. "I had to get out of there, but I'm training, and I'm going to go back and take my pride back."

Mikazo saw Msafiri and Zawadi exchange shocked and dismayed glances.

"What?" he asked, thinking that it must be more than just hearing his story. For one thing, he had already told Zawadi about it, so she wouldn't look so shocked this time around.

"A lion named Jinamizi is the king of your pride?" Msafiri asked slowly, his tone cautious.

"Yes," Mikazo confirmed, confused by their reactions. "He is for now."

"Is your pride about half a day's walk in that direction?" Msafiri continued, looking worried, jerking his muzzle to show where he meant.

"Yes, that's my pride!" Mikazo exclaimed, straightening in shock. "You passed by my pride?" He noticed that Kimada had raised his head from the lake to stare at them with a slightly open muzzle, as surprised as Mikazo was.

"Oh, yes," Msafiri said, stiffening in sudden, remembered anger. "The lion who dared to call himself a_ king _was named Jinamizi. We were looking for a place where Masa could rest for a while, and found that pride. We went into the territory to ask if they would allow us to stay until Masa had recovered."

"And Jinamizi refused?" Mikazo guessed darkly.

"Worse than that," Zawadi growled, the reddish-gold fur along her spine beginning to bristle. "He threatened us for asking. He told us to leave and refused to help Masa, even though she was sick! That lion is completely evil."

From Msafiri's lowered head and narrowed eyes, it was clear he agreed with Zawadi's assessment of the lion who had refused help to his mate, Masa. Azizi, who had stopped playing once she realized what they were talking about, walked over to her father and burrowed against his side, ears flattened sadly. Daka went over to sit down beside Kimada, looking like he felt a little out of place. Mikazo was relieved to see Kimada lean down to comfort the cub, knowing Daka must be feeling uncomfortable. Mikazo lifted his head to stare at the diminished lake.

It had not only been his family to which Jinamizi had dealt a blow, but Msafiri's and Azizi's as well. Msafiri had lost a mate, and Azizi a mother, and both of them had obviously loved Masa dearly. Mikazo had seen how ill, how weak Masa had been; he couldn't imagine refusing to help her. If Jinamizi had helped her, she might have been saved, and even if she hadn't been, at least he would have tried to help. But Jinamizi hadn't cared that he may have been dooming the lioness to die. And because of that lack of common, natural kindness, he may as well have killed her with his own paw. He was the same lion who had taken Mikazo's parents from him, and who had killed Uzuri's son, Jamili; the young cub who had been Mikazo's pride mate. Mikazo hadn't thought it was possible to despise or want to stop Jinamizi more than he already did, but hearing yet another instance of the lion's cruelty did it.

"Jinamizi needs to be stopped," Mikazo said aloud, anger and the familiar determination making his words into a growl. "He can't get away with all he's done."

"Definitely not," Msafiri agreed roughly, raising his head. There was a fierce gleam in his eyes. "You said that you were training to reclaim your pride. You intend to challenge Jinamizi for the kingdom?"

"That's right." Mikazo nodded. "Simba, Nala, Kovu, Kiara, and Vitani are helping me train, so I can beat that rogue," he explained. "And of course, Kimada's helping, too."

"Yeah," Kimada put in. "We've been having practice fights every morning for a while now. Well, until the jackals attacked, anyway, but we're gonna get right back to it soon."

"Good," Msafiri replied. "It sounds like you have plenty of help, but if you don't mind another, then I'd like to join you, too."

"Thanks!" Mikazo said. "Trust me; I can use all the help I can get. I'm not even an adult, yet, and Jinamizi is an experienced adult fighter, so any tips and tricks you can give me would be great."

Mikazo knew how powerful Jinamizi was. He had seen indisputable proof of that when the dark lion had struck down Mikazo's father. Even though Hodari had been older, he had still been a strong lion, a powerful fighter. And then Jinamizi had killed Mikazo's mother, Kawanja, and though her attack had been made clumsy with grief, it had also been quick and strong. The rogue would not be easy to defeat, and Mikazo knew it may even be beyond his abilities to do so. But Mikazo had a strong reason to fight Jinamizi; to save his pride mates, to avenge the murder of his parents and Jamili. He intended to free his pride mates from Jinamizi, and get his pride back, no matter how difficult it would be.

"I'd be pleased to help in whatever way I can," Msafiri said, nodding.

"Thanks," Mikazo said again. He paused for a moment, and then, worried, said, "When you saw them, how were my pride mates?"

Msafiri let out a breath. "They looked physically fine, but I don't think they were very happy. One of your pride mates, a flame-colored lioness, seemed to be pointing us in this direction, but it was hard to tell. If she was pointing us this direction, then she was afraid to do it out loud. I got the impression that if Jinamizi caught her helping us it wouldn't have been a good thing for her."

Mikazo let out a low growl, his claws digging into the hard dirt. "It probably wouldn't have been," he agreed angrily, thinking of how he knew Jinamizi treated his pride mates. He knew from Msafiri's description that it had been Tumaini who had sent Msafiri's group toward Simba's pride, and it didn't surprise him at all. She would certainly have wanted to help them, whatever the risk to herself should Jinamizi have noticed. She had a good heart, Tumaini did.

"They all seemed like they wanted to help," Zawadi said quietly. "One of them tried to say something to Jinamizi, I think to ask why he wouldn't let us stay, and he snarled at her."

"Of course he did," Mikazo muttered, shaking his head. Feeling restless, Mikazo started pacing alongside the waterhole. He wanted to be moving, to work off some of his energy, even just by continuing on the walk. "Is everyone ready to keep going?" he asked.

Getting to his paws, Kimada bumped Mikazo's shoulder with his own. "Yeah, let's go," he said.

The group set off again, continuing their walk around the Pride Lands.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Later that evening, a while after Mikazo and the others had returned from their walk, Mikazo found Simba and Nala sitting off to one side on the promontory. Though the sun was about to set and he was getting tired, Mikazo walked over to them.

"May I join you?" he asked.

When they voiced their agreement, he sat down next to Simba. "I'd like to check on my pride tomorrow," he told them. "Would that be okay with you?"

"I don't think that's a wise idea," Simba said, casting him a concerned look. "You're not well enough yet."

"No," Nala agreed. "You can't make that trip, not in your condition."

Mikazo sighed in frustration. "I know I'm not in top form," he admitted. "But I can make it, I have to." Seeing that both Simba and Nala looked as though they were about to object out of worry, he tried to explain: "I just found out that Msafiri and his pride passed through my territory before they came here. Msafiri told me that when his pride was at mine, they saw how Jinamizi treated my pride mates, and it's just as bad as what we saw. I'm really worried about them. I need to go see for myself that they're alright."

"Really, Mikazo, I think you'll undo a lot of Rafiki's hard work and that means he'll be coming after me for letting you go. I don't know about you, but I really try to avoid getting Rafiki angry at me. I mean, have you seen that stick?" Simba gave an exaggerated wince. "How about if I go in your stead this time?"

"You- you'd go for me?" Mikazo exclaimed, surprised. "But you were hurt, too."

"Yeah, but I'm a fast healer." Simba grinned. "I'm perfectly ready to go. Really, though, you were hurt much worse than I was. And I was telling the truth, I've always been a fast healer."

Mikazo noticed that Nala looked a little worried, but she didn't say anything.

Mikazo thought about how yesterday walking the distance to the elephant had tired him out, even though their meal had been brought down inside the Pride Lands' borders, and not even terribly far from Pride Rock. If he was honest with himself, he knew there was a good chance that the half a day's walk to his territory, and then back again, might be too much for him to handle if he attempted it at the moment.

"You're probably right," Mikazo said reluctantly. "I don't really feel up to the journey. But, Simba, are you sure you're okay to do this, and you really don't mind?"

"I promise I'm fine, and I want to go," Simba responded, smiling. "I'll leave first thing in the morning and be back in time for dinner."

"I'm really grateful, Simba, thank you," Mikazo said sincerely. He was unable to believe that the king would do this for him, go so far out of his way to help him. Mikazo wanted to see how his pride mates were himself, but he knew that he could trust Simba to find out what was going on at his pride and tell him what he'd seen. "I'll think I'll turn in, now. Good night." He dipped his head to Simba and Nala in farewell, and turned to head into Pride Rock's cave.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Once Mikazo had padded into the cave to sleep, Nala turned to look at Simba, her eyes narrowing in worry as she looked over his golden pelt, which was still marked with bite and scratch wounds. Though they were admittedly healing well, there were some that were still fairly deep. She understood why her mate couldn't let Mikazo go, but did he really have to offer to go himself?

"I only waited until Mikazo had left to say this because I don't want him to get hurt any more than you do," Nala said vehemently. "But how you can walk all the way to Mikazo's pride with your injuries? And when you do get there, if this Jinamizi finds you, do you really think you can fight him?"

"No, probably not," Simba admitted. "But I promise he won't find me there, and if he does, I'll just leave. None of Msafiri's pride was injured when they came here, so Jinamizi must have just driven them out. He likely didn't attack anyone."

"That might have been because they were an entire pride and he's one lion," Nala muttered to herself. Then, at normal volume, she said, "Alright, I agree Mikazo can't be the one to go yet. But what if he does attack?"

"I'm not completely helpless."

"Well, I'll be going with you, of course," Nala said.

"You know I would love for you to come along, but you're needed here," Simba pointed out. "Our pride is just in the middle of too much at the moment for both of us to be gone, even for a day. I would prefer that you stay here and look after the pride. I promise I'll return to you in one piece by evening. And, if it'll make you feel better I'll take Rafiki with me. If Jinamizi attacked, he'd have to fight Rafiki, too."

Nala knew he was right; they couldn't leave the pride without the king and the queen for even a short time, not right now, so soon after the sickness, after the jackals. As queen, her duty to the pride came first. And if Rafiki was with Simba, Simba would have a healing Shaman right with him. She could only hope that neither one of them would actually need Rafiki's healing skills. "If Rafiki doesn't bring you back whole and healthy, I'm going to have mandrill for dinner," Nala growled, giving in to Simba's reasoning.

Simba chuckled at that, and the two lions laid down together to enjoy the sunset.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo lay at the edge of Pride Rock's promontory, looking out over the Savannah in the direction of his pride lands. The sun had risen only a short time ago, early morning light was beaming down on the Pride Lands, and Simba and Rafiki had started out shortly after its rising, so he knew that they were probably just exiting the Pride Lands territory right about now. It would be almost night by the time they got back. He sighed as he laid his head on his paws.

Simba was really being a great friend, doing this for him, but he felt guilty that Simba, who was hurt, too, was doing so when Mikazo's pride was his responsibility. He was the one who'd insisted on visiting his pride, on checking on them, and that had made Simba feel he had to go in his place.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a lion's paw-steps approach, and he looked up. It was Kimada, and his blue eyes were filled with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Last night I was really anxious about my pride and I asked Simba if I could go check on them today. He went instead because he didn't think I was healed enough. Well I don't think _he's_ healed enough either, and I'm worried about him," Mikazo explained, turning his gaze back in the direction of his pride. He put his head back on his paws and sighed again.

"He went alone?" Kimada asked, looking uneasy.

"Well, no, he took Rafiki along."

"Oh," Kimada said, letting out his breath and relaxing. "That's good."

Mikazo blinked at him. "You're not worried?" he said, surprised. He knew Kimada looked up to Simba; he greatly respected and liked the king, just like Mikazo did, so he didn't expect Kimada to look almost calm, now.

"Nah, Rafiki's always had Simba's back," Kimada said. "He'll make sure he's okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he is pretty capable with that stick, and he's a good healer." Kimada assured him.

Mikazo hoped Kimada was right, and his friend's confidence in Simba's safety as long as Rafiki was there made him relax slightly. He got to his paws. "So, hey, distract me, okay?" he said. "Let's do something."

"You got it!" Kimada agreed. "And I know just the place to go!'

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

A short time later, Mikazo and Kimada entered a cave that was near one of the Pride Lands' borders, a good distance from Pride Rock. Alongside them padded Daka, Zawadi, Msafiri, and Azizi, who they had invited along. Kimada had led them to this cave, explaining that he had found it a few months ago, and that it might be fun to explore. He had done so himself, when he first discovered it, but he said it was a deep cave, and there were probably still plenty of places to check out.

Looking around at the cave, Mikazo had to agree that not many would willingly pass up the chance to explore this cave. The ceiling, though somewhat lower than that of Pride Rock's cave, still arched a good deal above their heads. In front of them, toward the back, the cave narrowed into a tunnel that branched off into smaller tunnels every few lengths. They had some protection from the sun's heat while inside the cave, though since they were at the entrance, Mikazo could still feel heat pouring onto his fur.

Trotting a few steps inside, Kimada turned to look at the others. "You gotta see this!" he said, jerking his head toward one of the side tunnels.

With that, he spun on his hind paws and, with an eager leap, bounded deeper into the cave.

Kimada turned into the first tunnel they came to, with the others following right on his tail. Mikazo glanced around this tunnel, surprised, when he noticed a faint rumbling. As they trotted, the sound grew louder, and Mikazo's ears flicked as he identified it as gently falling water.

The group emerged from the tunnel into another cave, a little smaller than the one they had just come from, but still big enough for all of them to easily stand in. Mikazo's eyes widened as he saw the source of the water sound. Falling down from a small cleft in the rock wall was a miniature waterfall. Though small, it gurgled loudly as it dropped into the pool beneath it. The rock wall around it was beaded with a light sheen of moisture.

"Yeah!" Kimada cheered. "I was afraid it would've dried up by now, with the heat." He walked over to the pool. "Isn't it great?"

"This is so cool!" Daka yelled, launching himself forward and into the tiny lake, sending water arcing into the air. The pool of water was shallow enough that it just barely covered Daka's head.

"It really is," Zawadi agreed enthusiastically, following the cub into the pool. As soon as she was in it, she sent a paw-full of water splashing over her brother. Kimada let out a playful growl and sprang toward her, sending them both tumbling into the water. Azizi followed after them, splashing with her tail waving high.

Mikazo, bringing up the rear, leapt forward to join them in the sparkling pool but Msafiri stepped out in front of him. "I'm not sure it's wise for you to get wet before your scabs have come off naturally," he said to the younger lion in a kind voice.

Mikazo sighed as he stepped back. Msafiri was probably right. Water would likely soften the scabs and reopen the wounds. It was too soon to play in a pool. "Alright," he agreed, watching as Daka got dunked under by Azizi.

He enjoyed watching his friends for a few moments, but he soon began to feel a little sad. He didn't regret helping to fight those jackals but it sure put a cramp on his fun. He whisked his tail slowly along the stone floor, wishing he could leap right into the water and play with the others.

Mikazo settled in on the side of the pool, waiting patiently while his friends played.

"Mikazo, I don't feel much like playing today, care to come exploring with me?" Msafiri, who stood next to Mikazo, said suddenly.

Mikazo glanced up at Msafiri in surprise, and saw that he was looking down at him with something like concern in his eyes. "Alright, good idea," Mikazo said, standing.

At first Mikazo wasn't sure he could have any fun with King Msafiri going exploring with him, but it turned out he was a fascinating lion. He had all kinds of stories of his pride and his travels and really knew a lot about caves, too. They struck up a friendship as they explored that cave and it almost seemed to ease the ever present pain in Mikazo's heart a bit, the pain that came when he'd first realized he was an orphan.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The group was happily worn out as they left the cave to return home to Pride Rock. Kimada and the two cubs were soaked from their romp in the pool and were taking turns shaking their fur to splash everyone. Mikazo was pleased to note that Msafiri was looking a little less sad. He seemed to have enjoyed himself, and Mikazo guessed that it had also taken Msafiri's mind off of Masa's death for a time. It would be a long walk back home, but none of them minded. Kimada had picked a great place to go for fun. Mikazo had needed a distraction today and his friend had provided a perfect one.

"Look!" Msafiri exclaimed, when they had been walking only a few minutes, his electrified tone instantly catching the attention of everyone else. He stopped walking and pointed a paw toward the mountains in the distance; his dark green eyes gleamed with excited hope. "Those are rain clouds!"

Mikazo and the others immediately turned to look up at the mountains. Swirling above their peaks were dark clouds, large and unmistakably heavy with water. Once they burst, water would pour down onto the mountains, and from them, into the surrounding lands, including the Pride Lands. Then the storms themselves would extend to cover the rest of the sky.

"Alright!" Kimada yelled, jubilant. His cry was immediately echoed by the rest of the group.

"Does this mean the rainy season's about to start?" Mikazo had to ask, once they had settled slightly, though he was sure it did mean that.

Msafiri nodded. "If those are rain clouds, and I'm positive they are, then yes!" The sand-colored lion was looking happy and relieved. Mikazo remembered that Msafiri's pride had been forced to leave their lands that were suffering from lack of water, so knowing rain would finally be coming would be quite a relief to Msafiri and his pride mates.

Kimada started bounding back home. "Let's get back and tell the others!"

"Won't they have seen the clouds, too?" Zawadi pointed out, leaping forward to keep pace with Kimada as she spoke.

"Probably, but let's go tell them anyway!" Kimada grinned.

Msafiri broke into a trot. "We should get back," he agreed. "We have to cross the river to return to Pride Rock, and we won't be able to if the storm fills it first." They had crossed the shallow river on their way to the cave, which meant they were now on the opposite side of the large, snaking river from Pride Rock.

"Wouldn't we be able to swim across?" Kimada asked when he and Zawadi slowed from their run to drop back with the group.

"Likely not," Msafiri said, still trotting. "When the rain fills it, it will be fast, and may rush at that speed for days. We'd be stuck on this side until it slowed. It doesn't look like the rain's started yet, though, so we should have plenty of time."

"I can't wait to see rain!" Daka burst out, reminding Mikazo that that neither the little mahogany cub nor Azizi had been born yet before the dry season had begun, so neither had yet seen it rain.

"Yeah, me too!" Azizi laughed, springing straight over Daka's head in high spirits.

The older lions, just as thrilled that the dry season was ending at last, headed in the direction of Pride Rock.

"Just wait until you see Simba's Pride Lands during the rainy season, guys!" Kimada said. "You haven't seen it yet when it's at its best. When everything is growing, it's really beautiful!"

"Let's go home, nature boy," Zawadi teased her brother.

Kimada turned to look at her. He blinked at her in silence for a moment, then said, "'Nature boy'?" He shook his head incredulously. "Let's just go," he said, smiling anyway.

The lions resumed their walk back to Pride Rock, not necessarily hurrying, but neither were they dallying. Msafiri took the lead while the rest of the group joked and teased each other, enjoying the walk as the afternoon sun dried their coats.

They weren't far from the river when Msafiri stopped and called back to them. "Do you hear that?"

Mikazo listened carefully, and then he heard it. It was a roaring sound that seemed to be coming from the mountains. It wasn't a sound he'd ever heard before, but he could tell Msafiri was concerned.

"What is that?" Azizi asked nervously.

Everybody looked to Msafiri for an answer. "The rain has started," Msafiri said, his tone terse and uneasy. "That's the sound of the water coming down the mountains, filling the river-bed. We have to get across the river-bed before it reaches this point. Kimada, Zawadi, you go first, cubs, behind them. Let's go, now!"

They started sprinting toward the river, but immediately Daka and Azizi began to fall behind. Their legs were not long enough to keep up with the older lions. Kimada and Zawadi, realizing this, dropped back a few paces, and both scoped up a cub by the scruff without breaking stride; Kimada snatched Daka, Zawadi held Azizi.

As they ran, Mikazo could hear the roar of the approaching water even over the sound of their paws slapping against the ground.

When they finally came within sight of the river, he could tell it was going to be a race against the water, much closer than he thought it would be. The roar was deafening now; the vibration in his whiskers was so intense it was almost painful.

Mikazo had been falling farther and farther behind because of the pain in his neck from the wound the jackal attack had left him with. He could see from where he was, a few lengths away from the river, that Kimada and Zawadi, carrying Daka and Azizi, were running across the river-bed, about to climb up the far bank. They would make it. They would be safe. It was good that they were able to run so fast and save the cubs. But Msafiri was holding back, waiting for Mikazo. He shouted to Msafiri to go on ahead, but Msafiri violently shook his head no, his long mane whipping back and forth as he did, his expression filled with stubborn refusal to leave Mikazo behind.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Mikazo put on a burst of speed, catching up to Msafiri at the riverbank edge. As he came alongside Msafiri, they leapt down the riverbank together. They couldn't spare a moment to look to see how close the rushing water was, but they could tell it was very close. They raced across the river-bed, splashing through the shallow water. They could barely see, because the mist from the pounding water had reached them, and was obscuring their view. All they could do was continue forward.

Mikazo was relieved when he left the water and the ground beneath him started to slope upward. He felt sure now that he would beat the flood. The ground sloped up until it became almost vertical, and he scrambled up, his claws slipping in the dirt.

Once he was a good distance up the bank, he realized with a jolt of horror that Msafiri was no longer beside him, and he chanced a look back. Through the mist he could barely make out Msafiri's form; he was still far down the bank, and appeared to be struggling.

Without a thought, Mikazo turned and half-ran, half-slid down the loose bank, toward his friend, King Msafiri. When he reached him, he could see that there had been a kind of a rock-slide, and Msafiri's fore-leg was trapped beneath rocks. Msafiri was frantically digging himself out with his free fore-paw. His back paws were slipping against the slope, unable to get purchase in the loose rocks. When Msafiri noticed him, he appeared to be shouting at him, but Mikazo couldn't hear what the king was saying over the river's roar. However, even without words Mikazo could tell he was in a good bit of trouble for running back down.

Undaunted, he skidded to a halt at Msafiri's side, and helped him dig his leg out. The instant the rocks were cleared and Msafiri was free, together they started back up the riverbank. But it was too late.


	17. Trials Form Deep Bonds

**Hi, everyone! First, I have a small request. Lately I haven't been getting many reviews. And though I don't want to be the type of author who depends on reviews, I must admit that I'm thrilled when I see one come in. I would really appreciate it if, after reading this chapter, you'd send a review to let me know what you thought. It would really make my day.**

**This faster-than-normal update is for Starzinmieyez, who can get a little scary when I don't update quickly. **

Mikazo's fur stood on end in terror as the water rushed, tumbled, frothed toward them, the sheer force of the water ripping chucks of rock and dirt from the river banks it passed, widening the river by tearing parts of the banks away. White and churning in some places, brown and muddy in others, in constant, rapid movement the waves rose, sank and twisted around each other in a deafening uproar.

Mikazo instinctively sprang upward, trying desperately to get out of reach of the rushing water. At his side, he saw a flash of sand and dark red as Msafiri did the same.

The turbulent river water hit the bank just below them, causing waves to crash against it; Mikazo dug his claws into the rocky soil, tensing, as he fought against the pull of water and debris that tore at his tail and hind-legs. The forceful water was almost pulling his legs out from under him. Through half-clenched eyes, he saw Msafiri lunge upward, nearly fall, then catch hold just below the edge of the bank, where he hung, struggling to lift himself higher. Mikazo clawed upward more slowly even than Msafiri was able, the rush of water at his tail causing the dirt under his paws to slip and slide treacherously.

Digging his hind paws in, Mikazo felt a moment of hope as they pressed against a boulder, deeply set in the riverbank and so offering a more stable surface. He leapt toward safety, landing near the top of the bank, coming even with Msafiri's tail, which lashed for balance as the king tried to keep hold of the bank.

Though they were just barely above the rushing water in general, the flood still sent near constant waves high into the air, pulling against the two lions and threatening to wrench them into the torrent. Mikazo let out a yelp he couldn't hear over the noise of the flood as he felt a wave strike his hindquarters, surprised by how hard, how solid the water felt. Just barely managing to hang on, he forced himself a few inches higher up the soaked and crumbling bank.

Aware that only seconds had passed since he had helped free Msafiri's paw, Mikazo twisted his neck to look back at the flood, shocked by how sudden and deadly its appearance had been. He panted as he tried to hold what ground he had gained, the pain from his neck wound searing and making it hard to move the shoulder nearest it. He felt his hind-legs, which, because of this, were taking almost all of his weight, shake with the effort required in bracing against the bank. One of his back paws slipped, nearly taking him into the river, but his claws caught and held.

Once he looked back up, Mikazo saw that Kimada and Zawadi had backtracked. They were on the bank, standing dangerously close to the edge where there was a chance it could crumble and drop them into the flood. The siblings both wore an identical expression of frantic worry. Zawadi still held Azizi by the scruff, keeping the cub from putting herself in danger by trying to help her father; which, judging by Azizi's thrashing, didn't look easy. Daka stood beside them, eyes wide and jaw hanging in horror.

Gaining more ground once again, Mikazo felt a rush of relief as he saw Msafiri climb mostly off the bank, his fore-paws landing on safe ground, his hind-paws about to thrust him entirely to safety. The instant he was within reach, Kimada grabbed him with teeth and fore-paws, and then threw himself backward, helping Msafiri onto solid ground.

Mikazo was only a few feet behind, panting with exertion as he struggled to climb higher. As soon as Msafiri had all four paws underneath him, the king spun around to help Mikazo. Kimada slid alarmingly in the wet dirt as he reached down the bank as well, extending a paw toward his friend.

Gathering his energy into one last desperate attempt, Mikazo sprang forward, leaping up the last part of the bank to join his friends in safety.

He almost made it.

Something struck his side with immense force, yanking him violently from the bank. Flailing for a hold on something, Mikazo felt Kimada's paw brush his shoulder as his friend tried to grab him and stop his fall. He just missed. Mikazo saw, for a split second, the horrified faces of the others before he tumbled downward into the flood.

Then he could see nothing but the whiteness of the water and the dark shapes of debris flashing by, and feel nothing but the incredible force of the flood pounding against him with vicious strength.

Mikazo's breath was knocked out of him as whatever had dragged him into the water slammed into him again, and he saw a tree's branches as they whipped passed his head, close enough that they tugged at his mane and twigs jabbed into his muzzle. It had been a tree that had pulled him into the river. It must have fallen into the flood farther upstream and been carried here by the rushing water. For a moment, in the part of his mind that wasn't completely blank with terror, Mikazo marveled at his bad luck. He just had to be an instant from safety when that tree hurtled into him. He kicked away from the tree, knowing if it hit his head and knocked him unconscious, he would drown.

Mikazo tried to kick toward the surface, but the water around him rushed and tumbled with such energy that he was rolling sideways, down and then up, completely helpless against its unpredictable flow. He couldn't tell what direction was up, and his throat and chest burned from lack of air. The blow from the tree had knocked the oxygen from his lungs even before the water had had a chance to do so.

Feeling panicked, his heart thundering in his chest, Mikazo kicked his legs, trying desperately to fight the current. He couldn't; the water flowed with far too much power to fight. Then Mikazo's head broke the surface.

He gasped for air and saw sky for an instant before he was pulled back under. As he was spun back into the depths of the river, he felt something- probably a rock- hit one of his fore-legs, though it was thankfully small enough not to break his bones. The water constantly tossed small objects against him; and through his terror, he hoped that nothing as big as the tree would hit him again.

Once more the river flung Mikazo to its surface and the young lion saw that he was right next to the bank. He tried to lunge for it, but his paws had barely touched it before he was submerged again.

He bumped against what seemed to be the river-bed back first, the water sending him down with such force that the impact would likely leave impressive bruises. Twisting, he tried to swim back up, but the river would have none of it.

Struggling to think through his terror, Mikazo decided to let himself go limp for a moment and let the waves take over. It was harder than he thought it would be to fight his terror and inclination to thrash wildly against the flood, but he eventually managed to force himself to stop tensing and relax his muscles. Almost immediately he was thrown once more towards air. Breathing as much as he could with the unending pound of water against his sides and chest, Mikazo lashed out towards the bank. He felt his claws slip in the muddy bank before they were wrenched loose.

Fighting hopelessness, Mikazo kicked in another useless attempt to win against the current as it thrust him back under, and then up, letting him claw to the surface. He wondered if, after a while, and once it carried him farther downstream, the river would slow. If it did, and if he could survive until then, perhaps then he could successfully swim for shore against the current. He knew it was beyond his ability to do so now, when it rushed this quickly.

Something small slammed into his neck, the hit softened by his mane. Used to this by now, Mikazo, who was kicking toward what he hoped was the surface once more, hardly paid any attention until he realized that whatever had been thrown into him was still on him.

Head breaking the water, Mikazo twisted, trying to look at the side of his neck. He saw something soaked, small, furry, and most definitely alive clinging desperately to his mane. He only had time to notice that the animal seemed to be some kind of monkey, before he was dunked once more.

Shocked, Mikazo took in a gulp of water, choking once he did. The monkey must be holding onto him because of his much larger size. A lion had much more chance of fighting against a flood than did a monkey, though against river water this fast, neither of them had much of a chance. If the monkey had even realized that what it clung to was a lion, a predator… well, perhaps it thought that Mikazo was not likely to try and have a last meal before he drowned.

Shaking off his shock, Mikazo once more kicked for the surface, thankfully heading in the right direction to find it. Gasping for air, painfully choking up the water caught in his throat, Mikazo felt the claws of one of his fore-paws connect with drenched wood. He quickly sank them into its surface, trying to do the same with his other fore-paw, and saw that what he gripped was a branch. Large and thick, it had been torn from whatever tree it had grown from. Too panicked now to worry about the branch hitting his head, Mikazo clung to the wood as it rushed down the river, his back paws churning through the water. He took the time, which he knew was most likely going to be very brief, to breathe. He felt the slight weight of the monkey, which, he noticed with some relief, still clung tightly to his mane. It had not yet drowned. Whether it was prey or not, at the moment the river was as much the monkey's enemy as it was his, and he was glad the small creature was still alive.

Suddenly, Mikazo's claws were yanked from the branch's bark, as the river swept it one way and him the other, and he was flung away from it. He let out a yell that was cut off as his chest slammed against something solid. Instinctively sinking in his claws, Mikazo realized with surprise that the river had thrown him straight onto the bank's side, all four of his paws, his chest, and his stomach pressed against the soaked and slippery dirt.

Feeling the river about to pull him back into its lethal depths, he sprang upward in fear, the bank crumbling away under his paws. In two desperate jumps he had cleared the bank, landed on safe ground, and then bounded a few lengths from the river. Mikazo then collapsed into the dry grass, falling onto his side, feeling the monkey tumble off his neck as he did.

Mikazo lay still, gasping. He closed his eyes, feeling dizzy and nauseous, but also immensely relieved to be on solid ground again. He was out of the river, and he hadn't drowned. Mikazo's entire body was sore, his neck wound was throbbing, and his throat hurt from breathing in water, but when he tentatively stretched his legs, he let out a sigh when he realized he could move them easily, though not without pain. He gulped in lungfuls of air gratefully, relishing the ability to breath again.

After several long moments, he opened his eyes and raised his head, blinking. He lay a short distance from the river, and he could still clearly see and hear the flood. He looked around; he was in an area of the Pride Lands that he recognized, but thought it was quite far from where he had been knocked into the river.

Mikazo was surprised to see just how far the water had carried him. He could see no sign of the others, and fervently hoped that they had not been caught in the flood. He hadn't seen them, but he didn't think he would have in that river. It had been much too fast, and he'd been too focused on not dying to see what other animals might have been caught in the flood- aside from the monkey, who he'd only noticed because it had been clinging to his neck.

Wanting to go look for his friends, make sure they were alright, he tried to stand. Unfortunately, his legs shook too much, both from exertion and the aftermath of panic. His water-soaked fur, especially his mane, hung heavily and weighed him down. Mikazo sank back down with a deep sigh, deciding it would be best to rest a little longer before going to find the others.

Hearing a groan coming from beside him, Mikazo turned his head to see the monkey pushing himself onto his haunches. Mikazo realized with surprise and interest that he had never seen a monkey of this kind before. Dripping with water, he had a thick, bluish-gray coat covering his back, the outsides of his legs, and his black-tipped muzzle, which was a longer muzzle than Mikazo had seen on most other monkeys. In his experience, monkeys' muzzles were usually flat. The gray coloring stretched from his muzzle and covered his face up to near his ears. Around his eyes were black patches; and his ears, top, sides, and bottom of his head were white, as was his throat, chest and underbelly. His bushy tail, which lay curled around his body, was striped with thick black and white bands, ended in a black tip, and was very long. When he rubbed his head with a paw, Mikazo saw that his palms were fur-less and black.

"Ugh," the monkey groaned to himself, lowering his paw back to the ground until he was sitting like a lion would. "I could have picked a better time to get a drink from the river..." He looked over at Mikazo. "How'd you get caught in it?"

"Uh, I was climbing up the bank and a tree in the river hit me," Mikazo answered slowly, still tired.

"Oh, well, that -" the monkey started to sympathize, then broke off, amber eyes widening as he seemed to realize that he was talking to a lion. "Hold on, wait," he said, cautiously getting to all fours. "You aren't going to eat me, are you?"

Mikazo shook his head with a sigh, pushing himself into a sitting position, and was glad when the action didn't make him dizzier. "No, no, I'm not gonna eat you," he assured the primate.

The monkey stayed standing, ready to bolt, for a few seconds, and then relaxed and sat down, accepting his word. "Oh, good," he sighed, relieved. "May I ask your name, sir?"

Mikazo blinked, surprised at being addressed as sir, something that had never happened to him before. Although kings were sometimes called sir, princes usually weren't. "I'm Mikazo, but definitely not 'sir'" he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the title. "What's your name?"

"My name is Voninahitra," the monkey responded.

"Nice to meet you," Mikazo said. He looked toward the river, which still rushed passed them at tremendous speed, and showed no sign of slowing any time soon. They were far enough away from it that he could clearly hear Voninahitra over the noise of the river, but still close enough that the rushing water drowned out any other sounds that weren't from quite close to them. "We're lucky to be alive," he sighed.

"Yes, we are," Voninahitra agreed, nodding. "Thank you for letting me hold onto your mane in the flood."

"Um, my pleasure," Mikazo said, giving his fur a shake in an attempt to dry off. He looked back at Voninahitra. "I've never seen a monkey like you before," he commented.

Voninahitra's eyes widened and he stood up, clearly offended. "_Monkey?_" he exclaimed. "I am not a monkey, I am a lemur!" Voninahitra flicked his black and white tail high for Mikazo to see. "A ring-tailed lemur, to be exact," he said, looking proud.

"A lemur?" Mikazo asked, tilting his head in confusion. He'd never heard of one before.

"We're related to monkeys," Voninahitra admitted. "But no more than a chimpanzee or gorilla is."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mikazo said. "I've never seen a lemur before, then," he amended his earlier statement.

"That's understandable, since I'd never seen a lion before I was taken from my home," Voninahitra said. "Have you heard of the island of Madagascar?"

"No," Mikazo said, and then, feeling embarrassed at his lack of knowledge, added, "And, what's an island?"

"An island is a mass of land completely or almost completely surrounded by water. Most islands are in the sea, which is where Madagascar is." Voninahitra sat down again.

Mikazo winced apologetically. "Uh, sorry, but what's the sea?"

Voninahitra's tone was patient; "The sea, also called the ocean, is like a very, very large lake, so massive that you can't see the end of it, and so deep that you could never swim to the bottom, or anywhere near to the bottom."

"I've never seen water that big, and I've traveled a lot," Mikazo said, a little distrustfully.

"You haven't traveled far enough or in the right direction, then, because it's out there."

"Wow," he said, impressed as he imagined what the lemur described. "I guess the world is a lot bigger than what I've seen of it."

"Oh, yes, there's a lot more world out there," Voninahitra agreed wholeheartedly. "The water in the ocean is very different, too. You can't drink the water; for some reason, the sea is very salty."

"So, you lived on an island named Madagascar?"

"That's right. I lived there with my troop, and several other rival troops of ring-tailed lemurs."

Mikazo nodded, assuming that a troop was to a lemur what a pride was to a lion, but then he remembered something else Voninahitra had mentioned. "You said you were taken from your home. What do you mean you were taken? Who took you?" Mikazo asked, confused. "And how'd you get across all that water?" Having just heard how big the sea was, Mikazo was astonished that anyone had crossed it. He couldn't imagine Voninahitra managing to swim all that way, if the sea was as large as he said.

Voninahitra wrapped his tail loosely around himself, frowning slightly. Just as the lemur was about to answer, they heard shouting.

"Mikazo!" Mikazo looked up at the sound of Kimada's yell to see Kimada, Zawadi, Daka, Msafiri, and Azizi racing toward them from upriver at high speed. He let out a sigh of relief to see that they had all avoided being pulled into the flood and then broke into a grin. It was then Mikazo realized that he'd managed to get out on the side of the river that Pride Rock was on. That was definitely a good thing. He would have hated to have nearly drowned and then ended back on the wrong side of the river after all.

As the group of lions approached, Mikazo noticed that Voninahitra had leapt behind his back and was cowering there. He supposed that made sense, because lemurs would likely taste good to lions, but he kind of liked the little guy, and resolved not to let his friends eat him. Of course, that shouldn't be too difficult a task; they probably wouldn't want to eat him, either, once they had talked to him.

"Hey, guys!" Mikazo called, standing. He lowered his head toward Voninahitra. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone eat you," he promised.

The lemur glanced up at him uncertainly, then got to all fours, straightened his shoulders, and raised his head, seeming to decide to trust him on that. Voninahitra stepped slightly out from behind him, looking at the approaching lions.

As they ran toward Mikazo, who they were still a short distance away from, the other lions began talking all at once, so he couldn't tell who was saying what: "It's you, you're safe!" "You're alive!" "Are you okay?" and "You're bleeding!"

"I am?" Mikazo asked to the last, alarmed exclamation. He hadn't noticed that he was bleeding. He twisted to look at himself. He was scuffed up in general from the debris in the river, but they were just shallow scraps. However, he quickly saw what they were referring to. His mane and the fur just below it were matted with blood. Though it didn't seem to be gushing, he could see that the uncontrolled ride down the flood had reopened some of the wound on his neck, though he wouldn't be able to see just how much it had reopened until he had cleaned the blood away. He remembered Msafiri telling him earlier that morning that it might not be wise to get his scabs wet before they came off naturally, so Mikazo had not joined his friends and played in the cave's pool. And then he'd gotten caught in a flood. "Come to think of it, my neck really is hurting," Mikazo said to himself. "Dang, Simba's gonna kill me…"

He bounded over to meet his friends, and once he reached them, they all bumped heads in enthusiastic greeting. The two cubs brushed against Mikazo's legs. They were all clearly very relieved to find Mikazo in one piece.

"Hey, Kimada," Mikazo said, grinning, once they had all calmed slightly. "When I asked you to distract me, I don't think _this_ was what I had in mind!" He gestured toward the river's flooding water.

Kimada laughed, though he still seemed a little shaken by Mikazo's near miss. "I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"Who is that?" Msafiri asked, looking toward the lemur, who hung back as they all talked, a little way away from the lions he had not yet met.

"That's Voninahitra," Mikazo said.

Voninahitra, still on all fours, walked up to the group, dipping his head in a bow.

"Playing with your food?" Zawadi asked with a chuckle, obviously joking.

Mikazo laughed, then said, "No. This guy's my new friend, he's off limits."

The lemur let out a sigh loud enough to hear.

They all greeted Voninahitra, and introduced themselves, Voninahitra nodding in greeting to each lion as he learned their name. Once that was done, Msafiri said, "We really should be getting back, if you're able to travel, Mikazo."

Mikazo stretched his legs and arched his back, finding that though he was sore, and tired, and his fur was still somewhat damp, he felt well enough to walk for a while. "Yes, I'm fine," he assured Msafiri. "Let's go." He turned to the lemur. "Bye, Voninahitra. It was nice meeting you."

"Wait!" Voninahitra exclaimed, standing quickly. "I'm coming with you!"

"You are?" Mikazo asked in surprise.

"I owe you, and a ring-tailed lemur always repays his debts," Voninahitra stated.

"You don't owe me," Mikazo said, bemused. "I just saved myself and you came along for the ride. We're even."

"I would have died in that, if you hadn't let me cling to your mane. I owe you, and I am coming with you," Voninahitra repeated, looking determined.

Mikazo exchanged surprised glances with the other lions, and then looked up at the sky as thunder boomed down from the mountains. Then he shrugged, wincing when the movement pulled at his neck wound. "Like I said, you don't owe me anything," Mikazo said. "But if you really want to come along, Msafiri's right, we should get going. The storm's about to hit the Pride Lands, and it won't be long before it gets dark."

Kimada nodded. "Well, let's go, it's this way."

Mikazo and his friends fell into step beside Kimada as they headed back toward Pride Rock, which was a good distance away. Voninahitra kept close to Mikazo as they made their way across the plains, seeming a little nervous about the other lions, though not as much as he'd been before. As they walked, the other lions all bombarded Mikazo with questions about what happened after he had been knocked into the flood.

Mikazo told them about Voninahitra being thrown by the flood right onto his mane, and then the both of them being tossed onto the bank, and from there, leaping to safe ground. Kimada and the others explained that after Mikazo had fallen into the river they had run along the riverbank, heading downstream, trying to catch up and help. The river moved much faster than they could run, however, and it took them some time to find him.

The six lions and the lemur had not been walking in the direction of Pride Rock for long when they heard the rush of many running paws and, looking for the source, saw what seemed like the whole of Simba's pride- minus Simba and Rafiki- bounding toward them. Zazu soared overhead, a blue and white shape against the gray clouds that were beginning to amass. Farther behind, Mikazo could see the shape of Pumbaa, with Timon in his usual spot on the warthog's head. The two insectivores were trying to keep up with the lions. It really did seem as if every member of the pride was there except for Simba and Rafiki, who probably hadn't returned from their trip to Mikazo's pride yet.

"There you are!" Nala, running at the head of the group, called out, her voice full of joyful relief.

"What's going on?" Kimada wondered as the pride gathered around them. Kiara, Kovu, and Nala greeted Daka with nuzzles of relief, purring all the while.

"We heard the flood coming and knew that you guys were out here," Nyota said. The tan lioness stood next to Kudura and Huni, and Mikazo, looking around, saw that all of the Pride Landers, and Vema and Suluhu from Msafiri's pride as well, had come.

Giving Daka one last nuzzle, Nala raised her head and said, "Yes, Zazu helped us find you."

Mikazo heard Daka let out a squeak of protest, and looked over to see Kiara giving Daka's head a lick. The cub scrambled a few steps away, looking embarrassed from all the attention, and Kiara smiled.

Kovu looked up from his son toward the group, and then, when he looked at Mikazo, his eyes widened in alarm. "Mikazo, you're injured again!" he exclaimed. "Were you... you weren't caught in that flood, were you?" He looked in the direction of the river, listening to the roaring surf, which could still be heard, even from where they were, and then turned back to Mikazo again. "How did you survive? And why is there a monkey on your back?"

Many of the lions chuckled at that last part. Mikazo didn't blame them; most lions didn't carry prey around on their backs, which is where Voninahitra had leapt to when he saw the whole of the pride coming. Mikazo briefly explained how he'd come to meet Voninahitra and told them the little lemur wanted to hang around.

"He's certainly welcome in our pride," Nala agreed.

Timon and Pumbaa were the first to walk up to the lemur on Mikazo's back and introduce themselves, followed by the rest of the pride, though they stayed where they were standing. Voninahitra looked as though he was making an effort to remember every animal's name. Right after that, Pumbaa asked, "So you're joining our pride, Mr. Voninahitra?"

"Mikazo saved my life, and I am honor-bound to assist him with whatever I can," Voninahitra explained. Mikazo opened his mouth to protest the lemur's insistence that he saved his life, when all he had done was not shake Voninahitra off in the river, but Timon spoke before he could.

"In that case," Timon said, springing from Pumbaa onto Mikazo's back, causing the young lion to jump slightly in surprise. He saw Timon put an arm around Voninahitra's shoulders. "I've got a few tips for ya about life in these parts," the meerkat said.

"Uh, injury back there," Mikazo said to them, nervous about how close the two small animals were to his neck wound. "Maybe you two could hitch a ride on Pumbaa?"

"Oh, sorry, pal," Timon said, jumping back onto his best buddy's back once more.

"I am truly sorry, sir," Voninahitra apologized, and also leapt over to Pumbaa.

Mikazo sighed. "I'm not sir," he said, too late, as Pumbaa trotted off with Timon and Voninahitra on his back.

Nala chuckled. "And once again, life gets even more interesting at Pride Rock," she said with amusement, to general agreement.

"Speaking of Pride Rock, we'd better head back. The rain isn't far behind us," Msafiri reminded the pride.

"That's a good idea," Nala agreed. "Let's get back."

Zazu swooped low to hover near the queen's head. "Oh, dear, look at the sky," the hornbill said. "Simba should be back soon. I had better let him know where we are."

"Alright, Zazu, thank you," Nala said.

"Ta, ta!" the Majordomo called as he flew on ahead toward Pride Rock.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Simba and Rafiki saw Pride Rock appear on the horizon and both animals picked up their pace, eager to get back and rest. Overhead, the purple, twilight-time sky was mostly covered by rain clouds, quickly moving in to hang above the whole of the Pride Lands, creating a very welcome sight for the lion and the mandrill. A brisk, cool wind tossed Simba's scarlet mane, bringing with it the scent of freshly fallen rain and of much more to come.

At first, seeing that the outside of his monolith home was deserted, Simba assumed that his pride mates were sheltering inside, to avoid getting wet when it started to rain. But when he and Rafiki walked up the path and to the cave's entrance, Simba saw that the cave was empty, too. The inside was draped with deep shadows, but none of them hid any of his pride.

"Nala?" he asked as he stepped inside, looking around. "Kiara? Timon, Pumbaa, are you there?" When all he got was the echo of his voice bouncing off the cave walls, Simba turned to Rafiki. "Where is everybody?" he said, frowning.

"I don't know," the Shaman said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "But dis is very peculiar…"

Simba glanced around again, somewhat worried, and then turned to head back out of the cave. "Well, we'll just have to find them." He bounded out onto the promontory with Rafiki at his tail.

They had just reached the bottom of the rocky slope into the Savannah, and Simba was about to try and track his pride by scent, when he heard a yell coming from overhead: "Simba!"

"Zazu!" Simba looked up as Zazu dove down out of the now turbulent and soon to be thundering sky, and alighted in front of the king. "What a relief. Where is everyone?" he asked the bird, glad that one of his pride- or at least a bird he counted as a member of his pride- was here, and glad to see that Zazu didn't appear to be in a panic. Since Zazu was a naturally nervous hornbill, his panicking wasn't always a reliable way to tell if things were bad; conversely, however, the fact that he was calm said a lot about the situation, that it was probably far from dire.

"Well, nature obviously has a sense of humor," Zazu began, gesturing with a wing ironically, "because earlier today a few lions went out together. They were going to explore a cave, I believe, and they were still out there when the river flooded. So when we heard the rush of water, we took off after them. No one wanted to stay behind. They found them, and they're all on their way back now."

"Is everyone okay?" Simba asked.

"Yes, everyone but Mikazo escaped the flood," Zazu said.

"Mikazo?" Rafiki asked even before Simba could, his voice sharp with surprised concern.

Zazu sighed. "Yes, he got caught in the flood and was tossed around a fair bit. A few of his wounds reopened, but for the most part he's fine. I came back here to see if you'd returned. The others aren't far behind."

Looking over at the mandrill, Simba said, "Rafiki," and pointed his muzzle in the direction from which Zazu had come. Rafiki, understanding, stalked off with fire in his eyes to help the young lion home. Zazu quickly hopped out of Rafiki's path, flapping up to land on Simba's shoulder. Watching Rafiki walk away, Simba and Zazu shuddered, thankful that they hadn't undone any of the Shaman's work. Mikazo was in for a lecture he wouldn't soon forget.

As he watched his friend head back out, Simba climbed Pride Rock's path and then sank down by the cave entrance, glad to be back. He thought that perhaps Nala and Mikazo had been right and he hadn't been ready for the journey yet. He was tired, and his energy, already flagging since much of it was being used to heal his wounds, was at this point almost completely gone.

He sighed and laid his head on the ground, feeling as though he could use some sleep, but wanting to wait until his pride mates and their guests got back. As soon as he was surrounded by his family and could make sure they were safe, and then once he'd checked Mikazo to make sure he was okay as well as reported to him on the state of the young lion's pride, then Simba would get the nap he'd been looking forward to since late afternoon.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Sire?" Zazu offered, sounding worried for the king. He was still perched on Simba's shoulder, his light weight hardly noticeable.

Simba raised his head slightly to look at the hornbill. "Well, you could tell me what that flood did to Mikazo."

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo shook the first raindrops of the season from his coat. He'd just started to dry from his river adventure and now the rain had caught up with them. If nothing else, he was having an interesting day. He quickened his steps. Kimada was padding along beside him while the rest of the Pride Landers and the lions from Msafiri's pride were spread out around them. Timon, Pumbaa, and Voninahitra had continued toward Pride Rock, and were no longer in sight. Mikazo and Kimada were near the front of the group. They were all hurrying to beat the worst of the storm.

When he heard a thunderclap, Mikazo glanced up, blinking as droplets fell into his eyes. It was a little surprising to see that the sky was nearly black now, not only from the coming night, but also from the pending storm, when just a short time ago the sky had been a bright blue with few wispy, white clouds. The speed of the transformation was incredible. It was still storming over the mountains, an even darker torrent of clouds concentrated above the mountains peaks, and Mikazo knew from that that the river would still be flooding, as well, and probably at great speed.

He remembered the first time he'd heard thunder. He'd been a young cub, then, and when he ran to his parents, frightened and trembling, they had held him close and explained how welcome the storms were and how they brought new life to the plains. His fear had changed to awe after that; awe of the power of the storms and the life-giving water they brought. He'd spent the night nestled warmly between his parents, tucked against their soft fur with the stone ceiling of the cave keeping them dry, and had listened to the storm for a while before falling asleep. He hadn't experienced a storm since he was a cub, but with the return of the rains and the thunder and lightning, he remembered anew how much he enjoyed them.

"Rafiki!" Mikazo was brought back to the present by Nala's call and looked around to see Rafiki heading toward the group. They slowed to allow the Shaman to fall into step beside Nala.

As Mikazo, hoping that he would soon hear news of his pride, padded forward to walk just behind the two, he heard Nala say, "Hello, Rafiki. Where's Simba, is he okay?"

Mikazo looked past Rafiki, and realized that Simba was nowhere to be seen, which worried him quite a bit, and from Nala's tone of voice, it also worried her.

"Simba is back at Pride Rock," Rafiki answered. "He's tired, but oderwise fine. We just returned, and Zazu met us dere."

"Neither of you were hurt?" Nala checked.

"No, de trip went well," Rafiki assured her, to the visible relief of everyone in the group.

"That's good," Nala said. She looked in the direction of Pride Rock. Mikazo could just see the tip of the stone structure coming into sight, a paler gray shape against the dark clouds. Nala picked up her pace a little, clearly anxious to get back and check on Simba, and the others walked faster as well to keep up.

"Rafiki, are my pride mates alright?" Mikazo asked then, unable to keep from asking the question the second there was a pause in the conversation between the queen and Shaman.

Rafiki turned to Mikazo. "Ah, just de young lion I have come to see. And I see you are not in the same condition in which I left you dis morning. Do you care so little for my hard work dat you must undo what I have done? Your pride mates appear unharmed, you, on de other hand, can you say the same? Hmm? We will go back to Pride Rock and you will rest dis time and you will not get up until I say so. Is dat clear?"

After all that, Rafiki stared into Mikazo's eyes, demanding a response, and he did the only thing he could do; he gulped, mumbled, "Yes, sir," and slunk back to walk beside Kimada and Zawadi. It might be an illusion, but he felt safer there. At least he'd found out that his pride mates were still okay.


	18. A Tale of Two Prides

**My story is now above 100,000 words! I hope you've enjoyed at least some of them so far. Party at my house, bring pizza! This chapter is one of the reasons for the higher rating. I don't feel it's that bad, but parents probably should read it over first before young kids. One scene in the chapter includes taking a mate through force, though the act is only alluded to. Reviews are always very much appreciated. I'll even beg if you want me to. To those that I couldn't respond to because your review was anonymous, please allow me to thank you here. Your reviews always make me happy. **

"So, yeah, it really isn't a happy place," Simba said with a sigh, bringing the news he had brought to a close. "And like I said, the lioness you called Tumaini was clearly very upset and angry about something. But they didn't seem to be in any physical danger."

Just a short time ago, Mikazo and the others had returned to Pride Rock, where Simba and Zazu waited, and Simba had taken Mikazo off to one side of the cave, where most of the pride had taken shelter, out of the rain, to report what he had seen in Mikazo's pride lands.

Mikazo growled to himself, his body tense. "I've got to get ready, I have to go back, and-"

"Now wait a minute," Simba interrupted. "I just told you that I think you have time. They're obviously not happy. They're maybe not as healthy as they could be, but they're not injured, and don't seem to be in any immediate danger."

"You don't understand," Mikazo said, agitated, not at Simba, but rather at picturing his friend as Simba had described what he'd seen of her. "Tumaini's not like that. Tumaini's strong, she never complains. If she was that upset, there's gotta be something very wrong. She's the most upbeat lioness I've ever known. I _know_ it has something to do with that lion."

Simba nodded in agreement. Clearly he had no doubt of that either. "Well, the fastest way you can help them is to get better, stay out of rushing river water for a while. I'll continue to help you train; we all will, until you're ready to reclaim your pride."

Mikazo paused for a brief moment, then nodded and said gratefully, "Thanks, Simba, you've been really great to me since the day I arrived in the Pride Lands." After all, Simba had really done a lot for him, from organizing the training sessions to traveling all the way to Mikazo's pride himself, just to put his mind at ease. Though Mikazo's mind was by no means at ease right now, after hearing about Tumaini's state, he was relieved that at least the lionesses of his pride weren't hurt physically. He doubted many kings would be as kind as Simba has been to a strange lion who'd wandered into their territory.

Simba gave the smaller lion's shoulder a nudge with a paw. "You're worth it, kid," he replied.

Mikazo smiled.

Msafiri walked up then, stopping next to the other two. "I hope I'm not interrupting," he said, dipping his head slightly in greeting. "I just wanted to talk to Mikazo."

"No, not at all," Simba said. "I think we were about finished. And now I think I'll go rest until the hunters come back with our meal." He got to his paws. "I'll see you both later, when the hunting party returns." The golden king headed toward the raised stone platform in the middle of the cave, clearly in need of a nap.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Mikazo asked Msafiri.

"First and foremost, I want to thank you for what you did for me," Msafiri said, sitting down and fixing Mikazo with a serious gaze. "If you hadn't come back to help me, I don't think I'd be around right now. But, second, you put your life at risk when you ran down that bank after me. You could have been killed. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, I just acted, and I'm glad I did," Mikazo responded honestly. "I had to try to help, and after seeing how Azizi reacted to nearly losing you, I really don't have any reason to regret it."

Azizi had been sticking extremely close to Msafiri since the flood; right now Mikazo could see the young cub sitting nearby with her bright green eyes fixed on her father.

Msafiri looked over at his daughter, his expression sad. "Yes, it really scared her," he said quietly. "Of course it would, so soon after Masa died." He sighed, and then continued more lightly, "What you did may have been foolish, but I thank you for it."

Mikazo grinned. "My pleasure," he said.

"On another note, I hear that Rafiki has confined you to the cave," Msafiri said.

"Yeah, he said that it's until I know better than to play in rushing rivers." Mikazo chuckled. He'd had no trouble assuring Rafiki of that; Mikazo didn't intend to go anywhere near the river until it had slowed down a bit and was closer to its normal speed. The memory of tumbling helplessly through the violent, powerful water was too fresh, and he didn't want to risk being pulled back into it. "And that it's actually for the next day or so, because it's raining so hard and he doesn't think I should get my neck wound wet," he added.

When they'd gotten to Pride Rock, and before he'd let Mikazo talk to Simba about his pride, Rafiki had patched up Mikazo's reopened neck wound as much as he could, but had given him strict instructions not to do anything to reopen it again. He'd said that it was bad enough that it had been infected once. Mikazo agreed with that part wholeheartedly. He didn't remember anything about the wound being infected, just knew that he'd been unconscious for about a day and that they hadn't even been sure he'd wake up at all, which didn't exactly sound like a good thing to him.

"I'd better go now, but since you can't leave the cave, when the hunters come back I'll make sure you get a choice piece of meat," Msafiri assured him as he got to his paws.

"Thanks, Msafiri," Mikazo said.

Msafiri inclined his head, then turned and padded over to Azizi. He laid down beside his cub, who curled into his dark red mane when he wrapped a paw around her. Mikazo smiled for a second, glad that Azizi seemed to be calming down a little from her scare. But then his mind went back to what Simba had told him about his pride.

He was especially worried about his pride mates now, Tumaini in particular. For her to be as upset as Simba described her, something truly horrible must have happened, and Mikazo hated that he didn't know what it might be, and also had no way of fixing whatever it was, at least at the moment, even if he did know.

Despite his desperation to help his pride mates, Mikazo realized that now was no time to attempt to overthrow Jinamizi, no matter how worried he was. He'd just nearly drowned in a flooding river and reopened his neck wound and pulled a lot of muscles. He'd need to rest again; rest, and get back into fighting shape, train some more, make himself ready so there would be no chance he'd fail.

Come to think of it, resting sounded like a very good idea to Mikazo at the moment. Since the hunters weren't back yet, though, he decided to spend some time with his friends until they came. Then, after they'd eaten, he'd get some sleep. Normally they would have eaten earlier than this, but the hunting party had gone out later than usual because of the flood. And though he'd been too young to hunt the last time the rainy season came, he couldn't imagine hunting in a rain storm would be a simple matter, and that too would likely increase the length of the hunt.

As he sat in front of the cave entrance watching the storm, he thought that the large water drops that were racing down in a torrent would leave anyone who stood outside for even a second, completely drenched. While that might keep the lions mostly confined to the cave, Mikazo couldn't help but be glad for the storm. The drought had been pretty bad, and now every rain drop that fell was healing a bit of the damage the scorching sun had caused to the land. The storm had also broken the heat that had occasionally, on its worst days, made it dangerous to venture from what little protection the shade under trees and in caves had provided. Now the temperature had dropped deeply; and though it wasn't what you could call cool, what with the heat still rising in waves from the ground, it was still much more like Mikazo had remembered from before the drought.

During the worst part of the drought, the air had shimmered with heat, making it difficult to see far distances. Now the only thing that obstructed his view of the area outside the cave was the pouring water, and it did that very effectively. Mikazo wondered how the hunters would even be able to find their prey. Even without the vision problem, he'd think any sensible animal would be out of the rain and under shelter if they were able. Of course, some prey animals might be out for the same reason the hunters were, to get food.

Standing and turning away from the cave entrance, Mikazo headed a little further back into the rain-dimmed cave, where Kimada sat with Zawadi and Voninahitra, the ring-tailed lemur.

As he approached his friends, the lemur started babbling, feigning a panicked look, and he said in an exaggerated way, "Oh, hey, sir! This- this isn't what it looks like, we really aren't talking about you, I promise!"

And then, naturally, the other two joined in, and assured him, with their own exaggerated expressions, that they hadn't been talking about him. They were so obvious with the joke, since they clearly weren't trying not to be, that Mikazo had trouble not bursting out laughing right then.

"A lion could get paranoid with friends like you," Mikazo informed them, playing along and shaking his head at their antics, and then they all laughed.

"So, what did Simba say about your pride?" Kimada asked when Mikazo settled down beside the other two lions and the lemur.

"Everyone seems to be fine," Mikazo answered, his momentarily lifted mood dropping again at the reminder. He paused for a moment, stifling a sigh, before he continued. "Except for Tumaini… She doesn't seem to be hurt, but Simba said that she was really upset about something."

"Well, that's not that strange, is it?" Kimada asked. "What with that rogue around."

Mikazo shook his head. "No, not really, but from what Simba said, she was way more upset than when I last saw her, more than I've ever seen from Tumaini. It's really not like her to be that upset about something. I just have a very bad feeling about it."

"Is this Tumaini a good friend of yours?" Zawadi asked.

"Yeah, she's my best friend from my pride," Mikazo said.

Mikazo supposed that if there was an upside to everything Jinamizi had caused, it was that because of it, Mikazo had met Kimada. He now had two friends whom he considered best friends. First was Tumaini, and now there was Kimada. Then there was everyone else in Simba's pride, and he was really starting to like Msafiri, Azizi, and Zawadi, as well. Though it didn't make up for the death of his parents, Uzuri's young son Jamili, and Jinamizi's rule over his pride- nothing could do that- it still certainly made life better for Mikazo.

If he could have planned it all, he'd have made it that Jinamizi hadn't come to his pride, but that he still would have met the lions of Simba's and Msafiri's prides. But since he didn't have that much control over the world, and Jinamizi had taken over his pride, he had to admit that his life wasn't so bad. Since the death of his parents, he'd been very lucky. He'd made great friends and was working hard with them to get himself ready to reclaim his birthright, to reclaim his pride and return as its king. Yes, putting aside the misadventures that he'd had since coming to Simba's pride such as jackals and the recent incident with raging river rapids, he'd been very lucky, indeed.

Now if only he could help his pride mates, and find out what was upsetting Tumaini, but he'd have to wait to do that.

Kimada's expression became very serious as he said, "Don't worry, buddy. We're going to all work really hard together until you're ready to get that guy outta there."

"I appreciate that. I want him out badly," Mikazo said.

Everybody was quiet for a moment and the mood was sober.

"I don't understand," Voninahitra spoke up in a puzzled voice. "I don't know much about the lives of lions, but I was under the impression that a lion only lives in one pride. I thought this was your pride, sir."

Grimacing at the use of the title but deciding not to protest again, at least not quite yet, Mikazo explained about Jinamizi's takeover of his pride, the death of his parents, and the events concerning his pride and pride mates since then. The last part didn't take too long, since Mikazo hadn't seen very much of his pride since Jinamizi tried to kill him and drove him off. The lack of knowledge about his pride mates' daily lives, however unpleasant they may be at the moment, bothered Mikazo. As their friend and pride mate, and as their prince, he should know what was going on in their lives. Shaking the thought from his head for the moment, he explained to Voninahitra that he was training until he was strong enough and knew enough fighting skills to defeat Jinamizi.

"Well, this is getting too dark, especially when the rains have finally come. So Vonny, tell us your story," Zawadi said when he was done, turning toward the primate.

The ring-tailed lemur looked shocked. "Vonny?" he asked, his tone incredulous.

"Well, Voninahitra is a bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" she pointed out.

"Voninahitra is a name with proud beginnings!" the lemur replied strongly. "Vonny is simply undignified!"

"It's a nickname. Nicknames aren't so bad," Kimada said. "Zawadi's fine with me calling her 'Wadi."

"Yeah, as a cub you never could say my name, and when you tried, you mangled it," Zawadi added, then grinned at Kimada with a playful gleam in her eyes. "If you like nicknames, then, are you rethinking the nickname Fluffy? I still think it fits you." She gestured with a paw at her brother, indicating his still growing mane.

"No, I'm not, and no, it doesn't," he said flatly, though his muzzle was twitching toward a smile.

"Well, Voninahitra," Mikazo cut in. "Do you really not want to be called Vonny? Would Von work?"

The little lemur sighed and shook his head, looking resigned. "You might as well stick with Vonny. I suppose Voninahitra _is _somewhat long."

"Great!" Zawadi exclaimed. "So, Vonny, what's your story?" she asked again.

"This might take a while," he warned.

"We have time," Mikazo prompted him. "If you don't mind talking about it," he added, realizing Vonny might not want to talk about the subject that had taken him away from his home, as he'd told Mikazo it had when they'd first escaped the flood.

"No, I don't mind," Voninahitra assured him evenly. "Like I said when we met, my home was on the island of Madagascar."

At Kimada and Zawadi's confused expressions, Vonny explained about what an island was, which, like it had when he'd explained the same thing to Mikazo, led to questions about what the sea was. Once done with that, the lemur continued on with his story, which would be news to all three young lions.

"One day, while my troop was eating, I heard a noise in the jungle. It was a strange one, a noise I had never heard before. I was curious, so I left my parents' sides to see what made the noise."

At the mention of parents, Mikazo asked, "How old are you, Vonny?"

"I was born around two years ago. Like the three of you, I'm not yet an adult, but too old to truly be called a child.

"Back to my story. I went to investigate the strange noise. My parents didn't see me leave because the three of us had been climbing higher up the tree toward the better leaves, but I hung back when I heard the noise.

"So I went toward where the sound came from. It was a group of humans in what they call a truck."

"We've all heard of humans, but what's a truck?" Mikazo asked, tilting his head in interest at the unfamiliar word.

"It's hard to describe. It's a thing made of some hard material, like stone but even harder and much... shinier. It travels great distances all at once, and they sit on it, though it isn't alive. It moves very quickly, which is why have it, I suppose, to get around quickly. I guess the best way to describe it is that it's like how a mother lemur carries her young, riding on her back.

"The humans stopped the truck and got off of it. I was curious; I'd never seen creatures like humans before. I mean, everyone talked about them, but no one I knew had ever seen one. So I got closer, which turned out to be a big mistake. One of them threw a net over me. A net is like a very big, strong spider web." The three lions gasped in horror. "I couldn't get out, couldn't bite through the net or break it at all. I couldn't even weaken it, the strands were so tough. They picked me up and put me in the truck. Then they took me with them in another big traveling thing they called a ship, and this went over the water across the sea, farther than any land animal would be able to swim.

"When we reached land again, one of the humans who had captured me took me to live with him. His home was far from here. There were more trees there than there are here, more water, and a lot of humans. The human left every day, and I was alone in his dwelling for most of every day. And I couldn't see the sun except through holes in the wall, and they were covered, so I couldn't get out. For months I was getting more and more sad, missing my home and the outside in general. After a while, I think the human noticed that I was unhappy because he put me in his truck again and took me far from his home, and set me free, quite far from any human dwelling.

"I didn't know where the ocean was, or how I could get back across it if I found it, but I traveled for many days. On that last day, I'd gone a really long time without water, so that's why I was willing to risk grabbing a drink from the river even when I heard the roar of the flood coming. I wasn't sure how long the flood would go on before I could hope to be able to drink from it, I worried that it might be days, so I took the chance and was caught in the flood. I was carried downstream, slammed into Mikazo, and the rest you know."

All three lion started talking at once: "What's a truck like?" "What was it like living with a human?" "What do you mean this ship thing went over the water?"

Voninahitra laughed. "One at a time, one at a time!"

He spent the next few minutes explaining about what it was like to ride in a truck or a ship, as well as what his life living with the human had been like. That was the part he spent the most time on. According to him, the human had not been bad to him; in fact, Vonny had gotten the impression that the human was trying to be his friend. But since Vonny could barely understand what the human said when he talked, and had the feeling the human had not the slightest idea what the lemur said, that hadn't gone very well, especially since Voninahitra had missed his home and the wild too much to pay much attention to the human's attempts at kindness. He'd been very relieved when the human let him go. Though he'd had no clue where he was, and it was obvious it wasn't Madagascar, the lemur had been thrilled to at least be outside again and free.

When he finished speaking, Voninahitra shifted his sitting position until he was sitting back on his haunches alone rather than supporting himself with his fore-paws as the felines did. His fore-legs hung in front of him just above the ground now. Then he said, "Anyway, now I'm here, and as Mikazo saved my life, I am honor-bound to assist him in any way that I can."

"Vonny, I still say I didn't save your life, you held onto me in the flood," a slightly frustrated Mikazo said. "I didn't do anything special. I was trying to get out of the flood, and because you were holding onto me, you came, too."

"The fact remains I would be dead if it weren't for you. And as the Lemur Code states, I now owe you a debt of loyalty and am honor-bound to repay you in whatever way I can."

Mikazo opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it, confused, when the unfamiliar term registered. "Uh… what's the Lemur Code?" he asked.

"The Lemur Code is a code of honor that we ring-tailed lemurs follow, a code that the elders of our troops say has existed for as long as we as a species have, or at least for untold generations," Voninahitra explained, his tone one of reverence and pride.

"A code of honor?" Kimada asked, clearly just as confused as Mikazo felt. "What does that mean?"

"Hmm," Voninahitra said thoughtfully, clearly thinking of how to explain. After a moment, he said, "A code of honor is a set of… rules, you might say, that you follow throughout your life; rules that, when followed, make you a better animal. Such as someone's personal code of honor, rules they create for themselves to abide by.

"The Lemur Code is a code of honor that all ring-tailed lemurs follow, as I said. One of the rules is that when someone saves your life, then you owe them a debt of loyalty that can only be truly repaid if, say, I saved your life in return. But if that's not the case, then the one whose life was saved must do whatever he can for his rescuer."

"Can't I just say that you don't owe me?" Mikazo asked. "Would that get rid of the debt?"

"No," Voninahitra shook his head. "I would still owe you a life debt, no matter what. If I ignored that debt, then I'd be breaking the Lemur Code." When he spoke of breaking his code, the lemur's voice was filled with disgusted horror at the thought. "That is something I cannot do. Not only would it be the height of dishonor, but when one breaks the code… unfortunate things have been known to happen."

"Like what?" Zawadi asked, interested.

Voninahitra grimaced. "Well, I had a great uncle named Ajawa. He ignored many aspects of the code, to the disgust of the rest of my family and troop. Great Uncle Ajawa… he meant well, truly, but he was very foolish. He didn't hold much stock in the Lemur Code. What happened to Great Uncle Ajawa is legend among my troop, and even among some of the rival troops who live nearby. It is considered very bad luck to speak of it. All I can say is that it involved a palm tree, Great Uncle Ajawa being flung through the air, and predator infested waters." A shudder ran down the lemur's spine, and he shook his head.

Mikazo decided not to ask just what happened; clearly the subject was off limits. That, and he wasn't really sure he wanted to hear exactly what happened.

"So, if you ignore this code, you think something might happen to you?" he asked instead.

"Yes," Vonny said. "I have no doubt of it. The Lemur Code is very important, held above all else for ring-tailed lemurs. To break it would be to dishonor everything my ancestors stood for, and would be beyond foolish."

Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi exchanged glances.

"Well, that settles that," Zawadi said.

"That it does," Mikazo agreed.

Kimada nodded. "Yep."

"Alright, Vonny, if you insist you owe me, and with your code, I guess I can't argue," Mikazo said. "But I really can't think of anything I'd need your help with."

"That is alright. If you do find something that I can help with, then I will do what I can."

"Okay," Mikazo sighed. "Well, thanks in advance."

Voninahitra nodded. "I have been meaning to ask," he said, changing the subject. "How did this lion pride come to include a hornbill, a mandrill, and a warthog and meerkat?"

"Simba, like his father and grandfather before him, has a way of attracting fiercely loyal friends of all species," Kimada said with obvious pride for his king. Then he bumped shoulders with Mikazo and, fighting back a grin, added, "Like this strange creature here."

"You may not have noticed this, Kimada, but I'm a lion, too," Mikazo pointed out, trying not to laugh.

"You _are?_" Kimada asked, pretending to be shocked. "Well, someone shoulda told me that!"

Mikazo bumped Kimada's shoulder playfully in return. "Hyena brain!" he exclaimed.

"I really think I'm going to like it here," Voninahitra said, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Everyone laughed.

The four jumped slightly as they heard Kudura's roar from the base of Pride Rock, the call rising above the noise of the storm. The lead hunter was announcing the group's return with the prey.

"Alright!" Kimada cheered. "I'm starving!"

At the reminder of food, Mikazo's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him vehemently that it was achingly empty. Talking with his friends, he'd completely forgotten about being hungry. It had certainly made the wait for the hunters pass quickly.

Over in the center of the cave, Simba stretched himself awake, and then padded down from the raised stone he and Nala slept on.

Because of the downpour, the entire pride save for the hunters were holed up in the cave. At Kudura's roar, Simba led his pride out of the cave and down Pride Rock toward the hunters and their catch.

Remembering Rafiki's warning that he had to stay in the cave, Mikazo remained sitting while his lion friends followed Simba down the stone walk. Vonny stayed sitting by his side.

"You stay there, we'll bring you something!" Kimada called over his shoulder.

"I wasn't going anywhere," Mikazo responded.

"Oh, I forgot," he realized, after watching the two head out. He turned toward Voninahitra, looking down at the little lemur. "You're probably hungry," he said apologetically. "But I don't think we have any fruit around here. Timon and Pumbaa might have some left over bugs, though… I'll ask them."

"Thank you, but that's not necessary," Voninahitra said. "If you don't mind, I'll try some of the meat."

Mikazo knew that some kinds of monkeys and other animals like them ate meat occasionally, so he supposed it made sense for lemurs to be the same. "You'd be okay eating antelope or something?" he wondered, knowing that kind of prey would hardly be within a lemur's hunting range.

"Obviously I've never eaten any kind of animal as large as a lion would hunt," Voninahitra said. "But I think I'd be fine with it. It can't be that different, surely."

Mikazo nodded, and then laid his head on the ground. He was tired, but his hunger still outweighed it, and he hoped that Kimada and Zawadi got back soon with their portion of the meal.

Luckily, Mikazo and Voninahitra didn't have long to wait. A short time later, Mikazo heard paw-steps outside the cave entrance.

"We're back!" Kimada announced as he and Zawadi come into the cave, dragging a large chunk of meat in between them- part of a haunch. It looked like the hunters had downed a Cape buffalo. The siblings' coats were flattened against their bodies and dripping with water. They left an impressive trail of rain water on the stone ground as they walked toward Mikazo and Vonny.

"Wow, you're both soaked," Mikazo commented with raised eyebrows. They'd hardly been out of the cave for long, but then the rain was coming down pretty hard. He could hear the rain drops striking Pride Rock loudly and constantly.

Kimada and Zawadi dropped the meat for a moment not far from the entrance of the cave. "You should see the hunters," Kimada said, chuckling. He gave his coat an energetic shake, sending droplets flying. "_They're _the soaked ones."

"And so mud-covered it was hard to tell who was who," Zawadi added, after lightly pushing her brother with a paw, probably for shaking more rain onto her.

Mikazo winced in sympathy for the hunters. "Well, at least they managed to catch something," he said.

"Right!" Kimada agreed. "Msafiri pulled this piece off for us," he said. "So let's get eating!" He and Zawadi finished dragging the meat chunk, which was a nice large one big enough for all of them, and they both sat down next to Mikazo and Voninahitra.

After today's mishap with the river flood, Mikazo was famished, so he had no argument there.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, Mikazo woke and sat up with a yawn. Voninahitra was still asleep; he could hear the lemur's snoring coming from where he slept on the ledge above Mikazo's own sleeping spot. Vonny had chosen there because it was above the ground, and since he was used to sleeping in trees, that was the closest thing he could find in a cave.

It was difficult to tell how early it was, with clouds covering the sky so completely and only allowing vague grayish light into the cave, but Mikazo thought that it was probably just after dawn. This idea was supported by the fact that a large number of the pride still slept.

Most of the Pride Landers who were awake were in high spirits because of the rain and the end of the drought, but none more so than Daka.

Daka, despite having just woken up, was more energetic than Mikazo had ever seen him. Mikazo watched as the mahogany-colored cub sprinted past toward the cave entrance, his parents trotting behind him.

"Mom, Dad, come on!" Daka called jubilantly as he darted out of the cave and onto the promontory. The young cub immediately sprang into the air, twisting as he did to bat at the rain drops. He landed on his paws with a laugh and ran around in a circle, sending up sprays of water when he splashed through puddles. The cub seemed completely thrilled with the rain and the fun new games it promised.

"Coming, Daka!" Kiara responded. The golden lioness stopped at the entrance of the cave and arched her back and legs in a stretch, then straightened back up with a bounce. Kiara, Mikazo noted, seemed to be nearly as cheerful as her son was.

"Race ya down the slope?" Kovu challenged his mate with a cocky grin.

"Alright!" Kiara exclaimed. She crouched down, tensing her body, and when Kovu copied her, she said quickly, "Ready, set, go!"

Both lions launched themselves out of the cave after Daka, who was already halfway down the path to the Savannah. Mikazo stood and padded to the cave entrance, stopping just inside, and looked out. The family of three had reached the bottom of the slope by then and was at the base of Pride Rock. Daka tackled his father, who let the cub knock him over onto his back in the wet grass. Daka then launched himself from his father's stomach at his mother, laughing.

Smiling, Mikazo sat down in the cave entrance and watched the family play for a while, then turned his attention toward the storm clouds that covered the sky. Rain was still coming down quite fast, though not as hard as the day before. Like he had as a cub, he enjoyed listening to the rain fall, and was glad for the drop in temperature.

He supposed that since he was confined to the cave until his neck wound had healed a bit, that he could actually get some more sleep. It was probably barely past dawn. But Kimada's habit of waking up early in the morning had rubbed off on him, since his friend usually woke him up as well, and he didn't really feel much like going back to sleep.

Though Mikazo would probably enjoy pouncing around in the rain himself, instead he laid down and put his head on his paws, resigning himself to a day of watching instead of participating.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Tumaini sat in the grass a bit behind the cave in which she lived with her pride mates. She'd come back here to be alone so she could think. The solitude was most welcome; especially as it meant time away from Jinamizi. Though it was still raining, it had temporarily switched from a downpour to a lighter shower. Tumaini knew the break wouldn't last long. She was digging the claws on her fore-paws in and out of the newly wet dirt distractedly. It was a nice feeling, the dirt being cool and wet when for so long it had been as dry as the bones of a long dead animal. She equally enjoyed the feel of the rain as it fell onto her coat. The sun that she knew to be overhead was now blocked by the rain clouds, instead of searing everything below. But Tumaini had other things on her mind.

She twisted her neck to look at the side of her stomach. Her stomach looked as it always had, sleek in shape and covered with fluffy, bright white fur; a strong contrast to the rest of her coat, which was the color of flame. After what Jinamizi had done to her, she knew it wouldn't stay this way for long. She shivered and closed her eyes, the breath catching in her throat in a small sob. She had tried desperately to avoid thinking about the incident ever since it had happened three days before. The memories just wouldn't leave, no matter how hard she tried to make them.

She'd just resumed watching her claws sink in and out of the dirt, when, as if her thoughts had summoned the son of a rabid hyena, their king's voice cut through her preoccupation. "What are you doing out here?" the large, dark tawny lion demanded as he stalked up to her, stopping a short distance away. His proximity caused Tumaini's heart to thud, and she struggled to keep her fur from bristling.

"Get away from me, Jinamizi," Tumaini said as steadily as she could, turning her head away from him. She hated being around him now even more than before, to the point where it almost made her sick. It did make her shake with a combination of anger and remembered fear.

"Do not speak to me that way," Jinamizi hissed. "You may be my queen, but you will show me the respect I deserve!"

That sparked something in Tumaini, this lion she so hated calling her his queen, especially after what he had done. Suddenly she was on her feet, glaring into his light-less, red-brown eyes. "I am not now, nor will I ever be, _your queen_," she growled. "And I am showing you every bit of the respect you deserve, which is none!"

Jinamizi's large body tensed, his teeth bared, and for an instant Tumaini wondered if she had gone too far; though she wouldn't take it back if the Great Kings themselves asked her to.

"You _dare_-" Jinamizi snarled, so angry he broke off, unable to finish his furious sentence. His long claws dug deep into the ground as his eyes blazed, and Tumaini prepared to dodge an attack.

"Tumaini!" Uzuri's voice interrupted Jinamizi before he could do anything, and his head whipped around in the direction from which the call had come.

Tumaini sighed as his furious gaze left her, thankful for Uzuri's sudden appearance. She, too, looked at the dark-tan lioness as she trotted quickly over to them from the front of the cave, her pale-green eyes flicking between Tumaini and Jinamizi. Uzuri dipped her head to Jinamizi briefly, and then turned to face her pride mate. "There you are, Tumaini," she said, her tone brisk. "We're about to leave on the hunt, remember? Did you forget we had one planned?"

Tumaini had forgotten no such thing, because they hadn't had a hunt planned, but from the tense way Uzuri held her shoulders, she knew that Uzuri had not missed the exchange between her and Jinamizi. "It's time for the hunt already?" Tumaini asked quickly, hoping her surprised silence hadn't gone on too long. She looked up at the sky, pretending to try and see through the clouds to check the position of the sun. "Yeah, I guess I did forget."

"No matter," Uzuri said easily. "But we'd better leave now, before it starts raining full-force again."

Tumaini glanced over at Jinamizi. He didn't seem to be suspicious about Uzuri's claim of a planned hunt, and his teeth were no longer bared, but he was still plainly furious.

"Tumaini will stay here," he seethed. "You and the others will hunt alone."

"I'm sorry, Jinamizi," Uzuri said apologetically, "but we wouldn't be able to catch anything large with only three of us. We'll need Tumaini."

While Tumaini marveled at her friend's acting, and hoped it would work, Jinamizi's eyes narrowed in irritation. "Are you that incompetent?" he snapped.

Uzuri remained calm. "Yes, I suppose that is one word you could use," she admitted dryly. "But three lionesses just can't take down large prey, like gazelle, at least not without risking serious injury."

Tumaini strove to keep her expression from giving away this blatant lie, and Jinamizi appeared to be weighing his desire to punish Tumaini for talking back to him over the risk of injured hunters and the likely result… less food.

"Fine," he spat after a pause. "She can go." He switched his glare to Tumaini. "But do not think that your insolence will go unpunished," he warned her.

"Oh, I'd never think that," Tumaini replied coldly. As if Jinamizi would ever let her be outright disrespectful to him, no matter how good her reason, without repercussions, when he punished anyone who he decided isn't worshiping the day he was born.

He curled a lip back from his teeth. "Get going, the both of you. And be sure to bring back something worth eating for a change."

Knowing they could not do otherwise, both lionesses dipped their heads in a bow to Jinamizi, though Tumaini had to force herself to do so as her pride fought against it and her anger told her to give him a good swipe with her claws. She successfully restrained herself. Then they turned to leave, padding toward the front of the cave. Though they hadn't originally planned to, they now had to go on a hunt or Jinamizi would notice.

Once they were a safe distance away and Jinamizi wouldn't overhear, Uzuri slowed down her quick walk and hissed, "What in the world were you doing, Tumaini, talking to him like that?" She wasn't angry, but she was obviously shaken.

Tumaini ducked her head and averted her eyes to avoid her pride mate's gaze, feeling guilty. She knew Uzuri must have been worried that Jinamizi would hurt her for speaking to him like that, and she hated worrying her friend. But the young lioness couldn't regret snapping at Jinamizi. In fact, she could think of several things she would love to have added to the list.

Tumaini gave a short sigh. "I know. It wasn't the best idea I ever had. But I couldn't help it."

"I understand," Uzuri murmured. "I know that you, out of all of us, have the most reason to lose your temper. But, Tumaini, I don't know how far he can be pushed."

"I doubt he'd risk hurting his heir to be," Tumaini responded, her voice catching.

Uzuri walked closer to the younger lioness and rested her head on top of Tumaini's for a moment. "I am so sorry, Tumaini," she whispered, the sound pained.

It was the incident that haunted Tumaini, that had haunted her for three days, and, she suspected, would for a long while yet. When it happened, she'd been out alone. She had just decided to go for a walk, wanting to stretch her legs. She had gone out into the Savannah and strolled around her territory. The day had been a little cooler than most up to that point, with a steady breeze, and Tumaini had enjoyed it, though she'd known that it wouldn't be long until the day heated up again. At that time, the rains hadn't yet started, and the cooler day had been a nice surprise.

Then, as she was heading back for home, Jinamizi had appeared.

_Tumaini's ears twitched at the sound of rustling grass close by, and, when she looked for the source, she saw Jinamizi emerging from the grass to her right. "Jinamizi!" she said, surprised, and unpleasantly so. She felt a burst of annoyance. Mostly she'd taken the walk for the exercise and to enjoy the nice day but part of the reason for the walk was to get away from the rogue, and now, here he was. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with Jinamizi. "What do you want?" she asked as politely as she could manage, wondering why he had come._

"_What do I want?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly and stepping toward her. There was an odd gleam in his eyes. "You'll find out in a moment…"_

_Tumaini frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"_

_Instead of answering, Jinamizi started circling slowly around her, walking close enough that his rough pelt brushed against hers. Tumaini staggered back, her hackles rising and her claws unsheathing instinctively. "What are you doing?" she demanded, feeling strongly unsettled._

_Jinamizi continued circling her for a moment while Tumaini was frozen in confusion and the beginnings of fear. Then the tawny king stopped in front of her, lowering his head to stare in her eyes. "Well, Tumaini," he said, "I realized that I don't have an heir, and an heir is something every king needs. But to have an heir, I must have a mate, a queen, and for that, I've chosen you."_

_"__**What?**__" The cry ripped from Tumaini's throat, high-pitched with shock and sudden panic, as she felt every hair on her pelt lift in horror. "No!" Heart hammering in terror, she whipped around and ran in the opposite direction from Jinamizi, but the large lion seemed to have been expecting that. His heavy form slammed into Tumaini from behind, knocking the young lioness to her stomach and driving the breath from her. _

"_Get off of me!" she snarled frantically, struggling to get to her paws. "I'm not going to be your mate!" She twisted around as much as she could while pinned, and swiped her claws at Jinamizi's face, but he just shifted slightly and her attack missed._

_Clearly angry now, Jinamizi put a fore-paw on the back of her neck, his claws sinking into her fur- it was an obvious threat and warning against another escape attempt. "You don't have a choice," he hissed. "I need an heir, and you should bear fine cubs. However, I __**don't **__need a trouble-making lioness! There are other lionesses in my pride to choose from; I don't have to keep you alive."_

_Tumaini growled and tried to stand, determined to murder this lion, but at the same time desperate to run and get away from him. But his pin was too strong and his claws at her throat restricted her movement too much. She couldn't move without risking killing herself on his claws, and a snarl from the king warned her to stop trying immediately. _

_He removed his fore-paw from her neck, and, completely terrified and enraged, Tumaini tensed to leap away, but he quickly bit her scruff, his teeth meeting with a snap in her neck fur, holding her still. She could barely even try to thrash, his weight and strength too much to fight against. During her next attempt to escape her fore-paws scrabbled uselessly in the dirt. It only earned her a blow on an ear with un-sheaved claws, and the lioness gave up trying. A defeated sob choking her, Tumaini went limp, flattened her ears and closed her eyes, bracing herself to endure a nightmare._

Shudders shaking her, Tumaini did her best to block out the rest of the memory.

Afterward, feeling nauseous with horror, she had gone to her pride mates, who had comforted her to the best of their abilities. They had been almost as horrified as Tumaini herself was. Nuru- Tumaini's closest friend in the pride besides the currently missing Mikazo- had started to stalk off, saying furiously that she was going to tear out Jinamizi's throat and feed him to the birds. Uzuri had quickly blocked Nuru's path, explaining that while she would love nothing more than to help commit regicide on this particular king, and while the four of them together might be able to beat him in a fight, she didn't think that all four of them could survive a fight against Jinamizi. One or more of them would almost certainly be killed if they tried to rebel. And, as despicable as he was, it always came back to the same thing; they needed a king.

Tumaini's three pride mates had stuck close to her every second since that incident, with the exception the times that Tumaini went to sit behind their cave for some time alone. And, even then, it seemed Uzuri had been keeping an eye out for her. Her pride mates seemed as determined as she was to make sure that from now on Jinamizi was never alone with her. Though their caution was perhaps not necessary, since he had already accomplished his mission and wasn't likely to do it again. After all, he had taken Tumaini as his mate so he would have a queen to bear him an heir, and though Tumaini refused to be his queen, there wasn't much she could do about giving him an heir. Still, Tumaini was glad for her pride mates' support, and she was all for avoiding Jinamizi.

"Thank you, Uzuri," Tumaini said now, grateful to have a friend like Uzuri.

The older lioness let out a soft purr in comfort, as she would for a cub, before pulling her head away.

When they reached the front of their cave a second later, they stopped outside its entrance. Cheneta and Nuru were probably lying inside.

"That's the first time anyone has spoken out against him quite like that," Uzuri said thoughtfully. She paused for a moment, and then grinned slightly. "How did it feel?"

"Great!" Tumaini exclaimed. "And I'm not the only one; you lied to him about needing me along." While it was true that four lionesses were better than three to bring down large prey, three lionesses were still completely capable of taking down an animal such as a gazelle, the prey Uzuri had given as an example to Jinamizi.

Uzuri nodded. "Yes," she agreed, somewhat smugly. "If he knew anything about hunting, he'd know better, but…"

Tumaini nodded as well. Jinamizi, of course, never hunted with them. Most males didn't hunt, so it was hardly surprising. It wouldn't normally bother Tumaini; it was just that it was Jinamizi doing it, so of course it irritated her. In this case, though, it was good thing, or Uzuri wouldn't have gotten away with her lie. That, and it was the only way they could get enough food. They had to hunt extra when Jinamizi wasn't looking because he took so much for himself when they brought prey back to him, as well as refusing to let them eat if he deemed the catch a poor one. All the same, she knew Uzuri had still taken a risk, lying for her. She'd hate to see how Jinamizi would react to being lied to, and was grateful to Uzuri for taking that chance for her.

"Now, let's get Cheneta and Nuru and start out on that hunt," Uzuri said.

"Okay," Tumaini agreed, and they headed into the cave to collect their friends.


	19. On the Mend

**Hi there, everyone! My apologizing for the chapters having taken a while is probably getting old, isn't it? Sorry about that. I was behind on both my other stories, so I focused on them for a while. Well, at least it's up now, and I hope you like it. Also, if anyone cares to look, please check out my other Lion King story; a Christmas short-story called Star of Light. **

Mikazo's paws twitched and he rolled over in his sleep, dreaming.

"_I know you can run faster than that, son, come on!" Hodari called with a laugh as he and Mikazo's mother, Kawanja, raced across the valley's plains ahead of their son, who was sprinting after them in an attempt to tackle one or both of his parents._

_Mikazo laughed as well, feeling a rush of joy at playing with his mom and dad, and then dug his paws into the ground, forcing his legs to move more quickly. The young lion felt the wind whipping through his mane, sweeping it back as the extra burst of speed allowed him to catch up to his parents._

"_Got you, Mom!" he exclaimed triumphantly, letting out a playful roar as he leapt at his mother. He pounced into her side, sending her rolling to the ground head over tail._

_Kawanja let out a grunt as her son, who wasn't a little cub anymore even if she still dwarfed him, landed with a heavy thump on her back, pinning her._

_Hodari slowed to a stop, then turned and casually strolled back to stand beside the two. "He did get you," Hodari confirmed his son's claim teasingly, grinning at his pinned mate._

_Kawanja chuckled. "For now," she agreed. The reddish-brown lioness flipped smoothly over onto her side, dislodging Mikazo from her back in a quick move, then she rolled to her paws and sprang at him. She quickly returned her cub's pin, holding the younger lion on the ground. She smiled down at the squirming lion, who lay on his side, his mother's fore-paws placed firmly on his shoulder and the side of his stomach. "Now who's got who, Mikazo?" she asked, amused._

"_Dad, can you lend a paw?" Mikazo called hopefully after a few seconds, unable to escape the pin._

"_Oh, you wouldn't dare…" Kawanja said to Hodari, raising her head to look at him and narrowing her eyes in mock threat._

_The dark brown lion answered that question quite clearly, and Mikazo and his mother went tumbling as Hodari pounced on them both. All three of them were laughing as they landed in a heap, and Mikazo was as happy as he'd ever been. As always, playing with his parents was one of the best parts of his days, only rivaled by going exploring with Tumaini and Nuru._

_The feeling of contentment that filled Mikazo's dream was shattered as it abruptly shifted from what had really happened to the warped reality of a nightmare. A lion's sudden roar of challenge rang across the land, deep and vibrating, the sound accompanied by the darkening of the sky from bright blue to dark, churning clouds that cast the land below them in shadow. When the startled family looked toward the sound, Mikazo saw the rogue lion, Jinamizi; his head raised high, his red-brown eyes focused scornfully on Mikazo and his parents._

"_No!" Mikazo let out a yelp, stepping farther back from the evil lion who was stalking toward them, his powerful body tensed to strike and teeth bared in a vicious grin. "Dad, Mom, run!" he yelled frantically, turning toward his parents as he did, desperate that they get away before the rogue took their lives, as Mikazo knew he would._

_Mikazo felt a scream of horror lodge in his dream-self's throat as he saw his parents lying on the ground, dead. Their pelts were torn and ragged, and their eyes were empty of all life and energy, staring blankly into the distance. _

_Mikazo, his body moving in slow-motion, turned to see Jinamizi standing right in front of him, mere paw-steps away. The rogue was laughing._

"_You-" Mikazo snarled, but found he couldn't move even a paw, couldn't attack as he longed to. He just stood there, unable to do anything to the lion who had killed his parents in cold blood._

"_What are you going to do?" the dream version of Jinamizi asked, his cold voice dripping with derision. "Nothing, of course."_

_Just as Mikazo's horror fully registered, the dream shifted and he and Jinamizi were standing in the cave that was his pride's home. Tumaini, Cheneta, Nuru, and Uzuri were cornered in the back of the cave, their terrified eyes fixed on Jinamizi._

_Mikazo gasped as he saw Uzuri's son, Jamili. The small cub was crouched underneath his mother's stomach, wide-eyed with terror. Realizing Jinamizi was about to kill Jamili, Mikazo struggled to move, to help his pride mates, to fight Jinamizi, to do __**anything**__, but his paws once again moved in slow-motion. He was only able to inch forward at such an impossibly slow pace that he'd never be to reach his pride mates in time. He was unable to do anything but watch as Jinamizi viciously batted Uzuri away from her son, sending the lioness skidding painfully across the ground. When the other three lionesses leapt to defend their friend's cub, they, too, were easily knocked aside, and Jamili was left alone, crouching defenseless in front of Jinamizi. The cub appeared unbelievably tiny as the massive lion stepped forward, towering over him with his teeth bared._

_Jamili's little muzzle parted in a scream as Jinamizi lunged at him. He turned and darted to the side, running along the back wall of the cave, trying to escape the rogue. Jinamizi growled and leapt after the cub, catching up to him in two strides. He snapped his jaws shut on Jamili's neck, yanking the squealing cub up by his scruff._

_No! Mikazo yelled in his mind. He couldn't watch this, couldn't helplessly watch as Jinamizi killed the cub, as he knew Jinamizi was about to-_

_The scene shifted again and Mikazo was caught in the memories of the trips he had made to his pride: Uzuri's clear grief over her son Jamili's murder; Jinamizi telling the four lionesses of Mikazo's pride that if they didn't catch prey that he considered good enough then they themselves wouldn't be allowed to eat; images of Tumaini horribly upset, as Simba had described seeing her when he visited Mikazo's pride in Mikazo's place... though Mikazo didn't know why she was so distressed; all this flashed through his dream. And throughout it all, Jinamizi stalked, ruling over Mikazo's pride mates with cruelty and arrogance- and all the while, the rogue had a satisfied smile on his muzzle._

Mikazo finally managed to pull himself free of the dream, jerking awake with a slight gasp. Looking around with widened eyes, he slowly reoriented himself, his mind clearing from the nightmare. It was still night time. The lions of Simba's and Msafiri's prides were all sleeping, as were Timon, Pumbaa, and the lemur, Voninahitra. Mikazo sat up and looked toward the cave entrance. Rain still fell outside, though since the clouds blocked both star and moon light he couldn't see much of anything, but he could hear the unending patter of water striking rock.

Mikazo sighed, relieved to be awake, but feeling shaky from the dream. The nightmare he'd just had was different from the one he still occasionally had, the one in which Jinamizi murdered Mikazo's parents just as he had in real life- a dream that was simply a replay of horrific past events that were permanently burned into Mikazo's memory. And though he'd often played with his parents when they were alive, they hadn't been playing together at the time Jinamizi arrived at their pride; when Jinamizi came, Mikazo and his family and friends had just been spending a lazy day lounging outside their cave.

He also hadn't actually seen Jinamizi kill Uzuri's son, Jamili. He'd been chased away from his lands before that happened, though he knew it to be Jinamizi who had killed Jamili. Mikazo was glad not to have seen Jamili's death, himself, and he didn't like to imagine how watching her cub be murdered must have effected Uzuri.

Jamili had been very young when he was killed, and Mikazo, like everyone else in the pride, had loved the little cub. In many ways, Daka reminded Mikazo of Jamili; Kiara and Kovu's young son was just as curious, energetic and bighearted as the cub who'd been Mikazo's pride mate. Killing Jamili, an innocent, defenseless cub, was perhaps the worst thing Jinamizi had done that Mikazo knew about, even worse, in a way, than killing Mikazo's own parents. Though Mikazo couldn't help missing his parents and grieving for them more than he did for Jamili- they were his parents after all, and as much as he'd cared for Jamili, the more painful loss by far was that of his mother and father- he was still aware that his parents had been older adults and had lived long lives. Jamili had been only months old. He'd had many years ahead of him, and the fact his life had been cut that short, and in such a way as murder, was horrible.

Mikazo would never understand how Jinamizi could needlessly take any lion's life, especially that of a cub. And that was also something he never _wanted_ to understand.

He may not have seen Jamili die, but what his nightmare had shown him was bad enough. He wished there had been some way for him to have saved Jamili, some way to have made it so the cub survived Jinamizi's takeover. But, try as he might, Mikazo could truly think of no way he could have escaped from his pride the day Jinamizi took over if he'd tried to take Jamili with him.

The fact that he couldn't have escaped while bringing Jamili with him, couldn't even have gotten around Jinamizi to reach the cub, was somewhat of a comfort; but what really bothered Mikazo was that during Jinamizi's attack he'd never even realized that Jamili's life may be in danger. Stricken with the sudden and brutal murder of his parents and threatened with death himself as Jinamizi stalked toward him, Mikazo's thoughts had simply not been on Jamili.

And as for Mikazo's parents, he knew that the pain of losing them would always be there, though it had dulled slightly over the past three months since they'd been killed. Both his parents had been wonderful, and he deeply missed talking with them, playing with them, and just spending time with them.

Mikazo rolled over onto his back with another sigh, and stared up at the shadowed ceiling of the cave. He did wish that he could do something to change the fact that his parents and Jamili had been killed, but he couldn't. He could only focus on helping his four pride mates who still lived.

Again, he wondered what was going on at his pride, what had upset Tumaini so much. He knew that only something completely terrible would upset his friend to the extent Simba had described. As soon as he possibly could, he was going to travel to his pride and check on them. Mikazo was getting increasingly frustrated with his inability to help his friends. He hadn't seen his pride lands and pride mates himself since he'd traveled there before the jackal attack, so visiting his pride again was long overdue.

Of course, he couldn't go until Rafiki gave him the go ahead to make the journey. At the moment, Rafiki hadn't cleared him to even leave Pride Rock's cave, and wouldn't until his neck wound had healed enough that getting it wet from the rain wouldn't pose a problem. It did seem to be healing well, though. Maybe tomorrow he'd be able to get out of the cave.

Mikazo glanced toward the cave entrance once more. It seemed to still be quite late at night as far as he could tell, and despite being shaken from the nightmare he was still very tired. He rolled back onto his stomach and curled up again, closing his eyes. The steady, continuous, monotonous sound of the rain against stone soothed his frayed nerves, and, listening to that peaceful noise, Mikazo soon fell back asleep.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, Mikazo trotted out of the entrance to the cave and into the still-falling deluge. Like he'd hoped the Shaman would, Rafiki had released him from what he'd been beginning to think of as cave-arrest. Though since he'd spent less than two days stuck in that cave, perhaps thinking of it as cave-arrest was a bit premature... even if Mikazo had begun to go a little stir-crazy in there. Whatever the case, Rafiki had said that his neck wound was healed enough that- as long as he didn't do anything terribly strenuous that would risk re-opening it again- he would be fine going out in the rain.

Mikazo stepped out onto Pride Rock's promontory and blinked as rain fell into his eyes. He shook his head to scatter the droplets. The rain was falling quite hard, and it was joined by a stiff wind that, while not very strong, was still brisk. It was very refreshing, and Mikazo gave his coat another light shake, feeling energized.

Mikazo glanced around for any sign of Kimada and Zawadi. It didn't look like they were still on Pride Rock, so he walked to the edge of the promontory and looked out over the Savannah, knowing it would be fairly easy to spot them from that vantage point.

In just the short time since the rains had begun- and started the flood that had nearly killed Mikazo and his new friend, Voninahitra- the Pride Lands had already begun to heal from any damage the drought had caused. The patches of bare ground, though still so dry they were fractured with a spider web of cracks, now had puddles of water in any dips in the ground's surface. The water was slowly sinking into the hard-packed dirt, though it would still be a while before the ground was back to how it had been before the dry season had left it parched of all liquid. And through the majority of what grass remained, long since turned yellow from lack of rain, there were just barely visible sprouts of new, green growth coming up alongside the dying stalks.

Mikazo smiled at the sight, glad that the lack of water didn't seem to be leaving any lasting damage, and hoped that soon he would be able to see the Pride Lands in all its glory; bright with the colors of healthy plants and full waterholes. Kimada had mentioned a few times that the Pride Lands in that state were beautiful, and Mikazo had become quite curious and eager to see what his friend had been on about.

Remembering Kimada's words on the Pride Lands in turn reminded Mikazo that he'd been intending to scan the Savannah for his friends, and so he started doing so. He could see that some of the Pride Landers were walking about their lands, the rain seeming to have given all of them new energy; some stalking small prey, most just strolling together and talking. He noticed Simba walking with Timon and Pumbaa, all three laughing as they talked. Msafiri and his daughter Azizi were resting underneath a tree. Well, Msafiri was resting; Azizi appeared to be standing on his shoulder and tugging on his mane with surprising fierceness. Then Mikazo spotted Kimada and Zawadi a short distance off to the side of Pride Rock, tumbling around in a play-fight.

Mikazo turned and hurried down the slope of Pride Rock and raced out into the grass, headed toward the siblings. He reached them just as Zawadi dodged Kimada's swiping paw and knocked him over, planting her paws on his chest and successfully pinning him.

"Hi, guys," Mikazo greeted them, stopping out of reach of Kimada's flailing hind-paws, which churned in the air as he tried to stand.

"Oh, hey there, Mikazo!" Kimada replied cheerfully, still pinned. Zawadi let him go, and he immediately sprang to his paws, grinning brightly. His pelt, like his sister's, was soaked to the point of dripping from the rain and their tussle in the wet grass. "You're out of the cave!"

"Sure am!"

"That's great," Zawadi said, smiling. "Care to join me in pulverizing my brother here?"

"Well, I would, but I'm not supposed to do anything that might strain the bite wound. Rafiki's orders," Mikazo said with a disappointed sigh.

"Hey!" Kimada exclaimed, playfully indignant. "What do you mean you'd help her 'pulverize' me? As my best friend, you're supposed to be on my side, ya know! And, for another thing; I was not being pulverized!"

"Oh, but you really were, Kimada," Zawadi said with a grin. "_Utterly_ pulverized."

Kimada huffed, lifting his chin with an unimpressed air. "Was not."

"She did have you pinned," Mikazo joined in, snickering at Kimada's expression. "And it didn't look like you could get up until she let you. Seems like getting pulverized to me."

"I could have gotten out of her pin just fine," Kimada insisted.

Zawadi raised an eyebrow.

"…Alright, maybe I couldn't," Kimada reluctantly admitted. "But, sheesh, getting pinned by my little sister!"

"Little sister?" Zawadi repeated. "Oh, no way, pal. We were born in the same litter, so you can't call me 'little sister'."

"I was born before you were," Kimada stated proudly, straightening to his full height. "So I'm older, which means I'm allowed to call you little sister. Plus, you're pretty short, so you're _really _my little sister."

"You're only older by about two minutes!" Zawadi protested. "So that doesn't count."

"Does too," Kimada responded brightly, then paused for a moment. "…Haven't we had this conversation before?"

"Yep," Zawadi confirmed. "About a hundred times when we were cubs."

"Oh, right!" Kimada said, his eyes lighting up as he remembered. Then he added smugly, "And I'm _still_ right, little sis."

"Kimada, I swear, a few more seconds of this and I'll be pinning you to the ground again," Zawadi said, though her grin rather ruined the threat's effect.

"Hey, that reminds me," Kimada said. "So back to the original point: I can't believe I was pinned by my little sister!"

Zawadi tilted her head and regarded her brother through narrowed eyes. "Sticking to the little sister thing, huh?"

"Yep, for good."

"Alright, I'll let that go for now," Zawadi said, sighing. She turned to Mikazo. "Right, well, sorry about leaving you out of the conversation like that."

"No problem, I was having fun listening," Mikazo replied with a smile.

"So if you can't play-fight or anything, what do you want to do, Mikazo?" Kimada asked.

Mikazo frowned. "You guys were having fun when I came over, you shouldn't have to stop play-fighting just because I can't join in. I'll be fine watching."

"No way," Kimada said with a shake of his head. "That'd be no fun for you. There's plenty of things to do in the Pride Lands besides play-fight, like Track-and-Pounce, or exploring, or getting chased by a herd of angry rhino."

"What?" Mikazo asked blankly at the last one, staring at his friend in shock.

"A herd of angry rhino?" Zawadi repeated, examining her brother as though concerned for his sanity.

"Well, according to Kovu and Kiara, it's a lot of fun," Kimada said. "Though they didn't actually _mean _to get chased by the rhinos, it just happened…"

"Let's just skip that one, okay?" Mikazo suggested.

"Alright, no problem," Kimada agreed, shrugging. "So, what do you want to do?"

"How about we explore a bit?" Mikazo said. "I'm sure there must be a lot of the Pride Lands I haven't seen yet."

"Sure are," Kimada agreed, nodding. "It took me forever to see most of the Pride Lands, and there are still a lot of places I haven't completely checked out."

"Exploring is fine by me," Zawadi said. "Got any ideas for where?"

"Well, there's this grove of trees near the western border that has this really cool rock formation inside it, though compared to Pride Rock, it's tiny," Kimada said. "It twists all around and has miniature caves, and you can probably get on top of it if you climb one of the nearby trees and jump- the gap's not too far. It's one of the places I haven't really explored yet, so how about there?"

"Sounds great," Mikazo agreed enthusiastically. It sounded like just the kind of place Mikazo would enjoy having a look around.

"Lead the way," Zawadi told her brother, gesturing with a paw.

"Alright, let's go!" Kimada exclaimed, turning on his hind paws and sprinting west. Zawadi darted after, catching up, then bounding at her brother's side. Mikazo followed in a smooth lope that didn't jar his almost-healed neck wound, glad to be stretching his legs after resting from the flood and looking forward to exploring the rock formation with his friends.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Tumaini lay curled in a ball near the back of their cave, staring disinterestedly at a patch of wall. The wall was a brownish-gray color, with many grooves and bumps and several long scratches that she was reasonably sure were put there a while ago when one of their pride members decided to sharpen their claws on the stone. Overall, the cave wall wasn't a particularly fascinating thing to look at, but Tumaini really didn't feel like doing much else.

Jinamizi wasn't in the cave at the moment, and Tumaini was glad. The lion they hated to call king was at the lake, making the most of the new rain-fall that freshened and replenished their drinking water. He'd likely be there for a fair part of the rest of the day, drinking and lounging under the trees by the lake. And that meant that Tumaini and her pride mates would be going to the river, instead, for a drink when they got thirsty. They did all they could to avoid the rogue lion whenever possible. Avoiding Jinamizi was a past-time that was becoming quite common to all four of the lionesses.

Tumaini planned to spend most of the rest of her day right here, inside the cave. She just didn't feel like going anywhere. The knowledge that she was unwillingly bearing Jinamizi's cub drained her of her will and energy, weighing on her like a physical force. Before Jinamizi had taken over their pride, Tumaini had been one of the most upbeat and energetic of the lions, always willing to go on a new adventure with her friends. She had always been a very happy lioness, so the lethargy born of depression- or at least something bordering on that bleak state of emotion- was very new to her.

Beneath that lethargy were other emotions, ones that troubled Tumaini if she allowed herself to think about them.

Bitterness was certainly there, but most prominently, anger and hatred for Jinamizi. Two of the emotions were ones that had never been present in Tumaini before- but now they were, because of their king. Yes, she had been angry before, with her friends when they occasionally had a fight, with her parents when she was a cub and they stopped her from going somewhere she thought might be fun and they perceived as dangerous, but she'd never felt anger to this extent before, and bitterness and hatred were both completely foreign to her, or at least they had been.

She suspected that lions like Jinamizi had a way of bringing out the darkest kinds of emotion in those around them. And while she didn't like the fact that she felt those darker emotions now, there wasn't much she seemed to be able to do to change it.

Tumaini sighed, shifting her weight slightly to a more comfortable position. She was trying to decide whether or not allow herself to drift off to sleep, though it was early in the day, when she heard someone enter the cave.

"Hey, Tumaini!" Nuru called.

Tumaini turned her head to see Nuru and Cheneta walking toward her. Cheneta's deep brown coat was even darker than usual from the rain that soaked it, while Nuru's, though equally wet, was still moonlight pale. Both lionesses left a trail of water behind them. Nuru and Cheneta's eyes were fixed on Tumaini, and glinting with worry.

"Hey, guys," Tumaini said absently.

"We're going to the field near the giant thorn-bush patch," Nuru said, her tone forcefully bright. "How about you come with us?"

Nuru was referring to a field not far from their cave. Wide and flat, it was an excellent place for everything from races to play-fighting, and it also had quite a few large, smooth rocks that were perfect for laying on and soaking up the sun- and those same rocks also offered the occasional small overhang, good for laying under in the case of a rainy day, like today. Normally, Tumaini would jump at the chance to go there with her pride mates, but at the moment, she felt only the barest spark of interest, and it couldn't compete with her lack of will.

"No thanks, Nuru," Tumaini sighed, not lifting her head from her paws. "You and Cheneta go, I'll just stay here."

Cheneta frowned. "You've been _staying here_ for days now, Tumaini, inside the cave or so close to it that it hardly counts as outside."

"That can't be healthy for you or the cub," Nuru agreed, her tone just as concerned as Cheneta's had been.

At the word 'cub', Tumaini stiffened and raised her head to glare at them. "Maybe, but reminding me that I'm going to have this cub, Jinamizi's cub- as if I could forget- isn't really healthy for either of _you!_"

Her shout, sharp with venomous anger, echoed throughout the cave, bouncing back from the walls several times before it faded into silence. Even once it had, the yell seemed to echo in Tumaini's ears as she looked at the reactions of her two friends. Both lionesses wore an expression of slack-jawed astonishment, stunned eyes fixed on their pride mate.

"Tumaini…" Nuru whispered, the shocked hurt clear in her voice.

Tumaini glanced back and forth between her friends and watched as their expressions turned from shock to worry once again. Neither had ever seen Tumaini react that way to anything before, especially something as innocuous and well-meant as Nuru's statement had been. They'd never seen her react that way because she never _had_ reacted that way before.

Tumaini's ears flattened against her head at their concern, feeling sudden guilt burn through her, twisting her stomach with its intensity. She would have preferred they be angry at her rather than concerned, after what she'd said. She'd threatened them! Her pride mates, the lionesses who were the best pride mates anyone could hope for, who were doing whatever they could think of to cheer her up, she'd threatened! Of course, even as she'd snapped it she'd known it to be an empty threat, and they must have known the same, but it was so unlike her even so that Tumaini was shocked at herself.

"Nuru, Cheneta, I'm so sorry," she muttered, unable to meet their eyes. She watched the stone floor beneath her paws, instead. "I didn't mean it…"

"We know that, Tumaini," Cheneta responded, each word coming slowly. She paused for a moment, seeming to struggle for words. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"You've already tried, asking me to come along."

"Yes, but you said no." Nuru sighed, sounding desperate.

Tumaini shook her head tiredly. She didn't see how her pride mates could help her. Nothing they said would change the fact that she was bearing Jinamizi's cub. Nothing would change the fact that Jinamizi had forced her to do so.

Another voice spoke then; "Tumaini, can I talk with you?" All three lionesses turned as Uzuri walked up to them. The dark-tan lioness had been lounging just outside their cave, enjoying Jinamizi's temporary absence as much as the rest of them, but Tumaini's shout must have brought her attention to her pride mates' conversation.

"Oh, hey, Uzuri," Tumaini said, ducking her head. "So I guess you heard my…"

"Outburst?" Uzuri supplied evenly, eye-brows raised. "Yes, I did. It would have been hard not to."

Tumaini scrunched her muzzle in embarrassment, keeping her eyes to the ground. "Yeah… What did you want to talk with me about?"

Uzuri looked at the other two, and, easily getting the hint, Cheneta said, "We'll just be over here."

She and Nuru turned away from them and walked toward the entrance of the cave, stepping out into the rain. They sat down just outside, and both sent a glance back into the cave before turning their gazes out across the Savannah.

"Nuru and Cheneta were just trying to help you," Uzuri said with a frown, turning to look at Tumaini, her pale-green eyes both sad and disapproving. "You shouldn't have snapped at them."

Some part of Tumaini bristled at being scolded like a cub, though she was glad that at least Uzuri wasn't scolding her in front of the other two. "I know they're trying to help," Tumaini said shortly. "Like I said, I didn't mean to say that to them."

"Tumaini, don't you realize that moping around the cave the way you have is just letting Jinamizi win?" Uzuri said.

"I haven't been moping!" Tumaini protested.

"What else do you call lying around and refusing to do anything besides eat when it's necessary and sleeping most of the time?"

Tumaini opened her mouth, and then closed it again hard enough that her teeth came together with an audible click, frustrated at her inability to find a retort.

"You have one of the brightest spirits of anyone I know, Tumaini," Uzuri said more quietly. "Please don't let what Jinamizi did to you crush that spirit."

"What am I supposed to do?" Tumaini asked, feeling strangely irritated by Uzuri's pleading tone. "I didn't ask for this cub, but that… _lion,_" she spat the word, "didn't give me any choice in the matter, just because he wanted an _heir!_"

Uzuri stared at her for a moment, her gaze focused and strangely searching. After a moment, she spoke, her tone blunt, "Tumaini, do you hate your cub?"

Tumaini drew her head back in surprise, partly at the sudden subject change but mostly at the flatly-put question. "I- I don't… I'm not sure..." Probably seeing her confusion, Uzuri didn't respond, allowing Tumaini time to work through her thoughts.

She'd never thought about it that way, not really. She knew she hated the fact of being pregnant to Jinamizi. She knew she hated the fact that the unborn cub she carried was Jinamizi's. She despised Jinamizi more than she could say for forcing her to bear his cub, and wanted nothing more than for Jinamizi to be dethroned from his kingship over their pride. What she wanted nothing more while in her darkest moments, when she was most angry, was to murder the lion herself, to get revenge for what he had done to her.

But did she hate the cub itself, the cub who was so young that its growth was as yet unnoticeable, the unborn cub she hadn't even felt move yet? _Could_ she hate the tiny creature?

No. No, she couldn't and she didn't.

She didn't know what she felt for the cub, not yet. But she knew it wasn't hatred. At that realization, Tumaini felt a wave of relief, and some of the tension that wound her muscles tight left her body. She didn't want to be the type of lioness to hate her own cub for something that was in no way the cub's fault. At least she knew that whatever Jinamizi's actions had changed in her personality, it had not made her a hater of innocents.

"No, I don't hate the cub," she told Uzuri quietly. "I just hate Jinamizi."

At that, Uzuri smiled, her expression filled with such happiness- though there was no surprise to be seen- that Tumaini cocked her head, wondering at her pride mate's reaction.

"I knew you couldn't hate a cub, Tumaini, especially not one you're carrying," Uzuri said, still smiling.

"Yeah, but I don't love it yet, either, Uzuri," she said, hearing the twinge of guilt in her own voice.

"Tumaini, I promise you will come to love this cub. When you give birth to a cub, one you carried inside of you for so long, one who became part of you, I don't see how you could fail to love it." Uzuri paused thoughtfully. "Just try and remember that this cub is your cub as well, not just his. With you as their mother, I know this cub will grow to be a wonderful lion or lioness, no matter who their father is."

Tumaini felt her spirits lift slightly at Uzuri's faith in her. "Thanks, Uzuri."

"You're welcome. Now why don't you go to the field with Cheneta and Nuru, after all? They're right that you've been in and around this cave too much lately."

"How do you know they wanted to go to the field?" Tumaini asked.

"They told me they planned to ask you, and I agreed it was a good idea."

"I really don't feel all that much like going, Uzuri."

Uzuri sighed. "I think you should try at least, Tumaini. Get out of the cave, stretch your legs, and get your mind off of things."

Tumaini shook her head slightly, wondering if Uzuri ever lost in her side of an argument. She glanced toward her pride mates, who still sat just outside the cave entrance. "Do you think that invitation is still open after I yelled at them?" she asked, a bit wryly.

"You know it is, Tumaini," Uzuri said.

"Alright… I guess I'll go." Tumaini shrugged. She felt better after her talk with Uzuri. Not fine, far from fine, but better. She still felt mostly like laying around at the cave, but she had a feeling not one of the three of her pride mates would stand for that anymore. And a small part of her, mostly overshadowed by the rest, but still there, was looking forward to getting out and taking a walk around their lands.

"Good!" Uzuri exclaimed, relieved.

"Are you coming with us?" Tumaini asked.

"I'd like to," Uzuri said. "But no, someone has to stay here to explain to Jinamizi where everyone went. Otherwise he might well throw a fit."

"That's true enough," Tumaini muttered, shaking her head.

"Now, go and join the others and the three of you get going," Uzuri said firmly, jerking her muzzle toward the front of the cave.

Tumaini smiled and walked out of the cave, stopping alongside Nuru and Cheneta. "Hey, guys," she greeted them, a little uncomfortably.

"Are you okay, Tumaini?" Nuru asked. Cheneta, though she said nothing, watched for her answer, too.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she said. "Do you still want to go to the thorn-bush field?"

The eyes of both lionesses lit up with relief.

"Of course!" Nuru exclaimed.

"So you're coming with us, right?" Cheneta checked.

Tumaini nodded. "Uzuri agreed with the two of you that I have to get out of the cave, and maybe you all have a point."

"Of course we do!" Nuru said, a grin spreading across her muzzle. "When are we ever wrong?"

"Well, there was that-"

"Don't answer that."

Tumaini laughed for the first time in days, and though it was just a slight chuckle, it felt good to laugh. "Okay, I won't."

The three lionesses started out across their lands.

**That's it for another chapter, and here's a list on some of the characters. This is the correct pronunciations for their names in Swahili, and also which pride they each belong to, if any. Here are the current main characters in the story.**

**Mikazo – Me-KAZ-zoh. Name meaning: Determination. The hero of the story and the prince of his pride.**

**Kimada – Key-MOD-uh. Name meaning: True. Mikazo's best friend and a member of Simba's pride.**

**Zawadi – Za-WAD-ee. Name meaning: Gift. Kimada's sister and a member of Msafiri's pride.**

**Daka – DAH-kuh. Name meaning: Pounce. Kovu and Kiara's young son.**

**Voninahitra –Von-inah-HIT-rah. Name meaning: Honor. A ring-tailed lemur taken from the island of Madagascar, his name is in Malagasy. His nickname is Vonny. **

**Tumaini – Two-MAIN-ee. Name meaning: Hope. One of Mikazo's pride mates and another of his best friends.**

**Uzuri – OOH-zur-ee. Name meaning: Good. Another of Mikazo's pride mates and the oldest lioness in his pride, though she's still a reasonably young adult.**

**Nuru – NEW-rue. Name meaning: Light. Another of Mikazo's pride mates, Nuru acts as the healer for her pride.**

**Cheneta – Sha-NET-ah. Name meaning: Smart. Another of Mikazo's four pride mates.**

**Msafiri – Sah-FEE-ree. Name meaning: Traveler. The king of a pride, Msafiri's group arrived at Simba's pride, looking for a place to rest so his mate, Masa, could heal. Masa died soon after. **

**Azizi – AH-zee-zee. Name meaning: Precious. The young daughter of Msafiri and Masa and the princess of her pride.**

**Kudura – Koo-DUU-rah. Name meaning: Power. She's the usual leader of the hunting party of Simba's pride. Kudura isn't really a main character, but she appears the most out of the minor characters. **

**Jinamizi – Jee-nah-MEE-zee. Name meaning: Nightmare. The current king of Mikazo's pride and the one who killed his parents and Jamili, Jinamizi is the villain.**

**There are a few others, of course, but those are the major ones. I hope this list helps keep all the characters straight. And I really hope you liked the chapter! Please leave a review if you have time.**


	20. Back in Business

**This is the longest it's ever taken me to update, and I'm very sorry for the incredibly long wait for this chapter. While I can't promise future updates will come quickly, I do promise to try and make sure the length of time never approaches this length again. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Five days after the flood and three days after exploring the rock formation on the western border with Kimada and Zawadi, Mikazo sat near the cave entrance, looking out onto the promontory where Simba stood talking with Rafiki. At the king's side were Nala, Kovu, and Kiara.

Morning light streamed down on them, though it was diluted by the clouds which still filled the sky. The rain storm of the night before had mostly faded and there were gaps in between the clouds, allowing some light to stream down onto the Pride Lands, dappling the territory with spots of brightness while leaving other areas in shadow. It was clear, though, that the respite from the rain would be brief. The clouds hung dark and gray, still heavy with water despite their near-constant release of it since the flood and the start of the rainy season. At the moment, however, the lions were dry aside from a light sprinkling of moisture on their pelts from the light drizzle.

Zazu had come to Simba with some worrying news early that morning, shortly after sunrise. The Majordomo had learned that the lions of various prides in the territories around the Pride Lands had heard of how Simba was training Mikazo to take back his own pride. Unfortunately, as often happens when stories are told and retold, the other prides had not heard all of the facts and had drawn false conclusions from what they had heard. All they knew was that a lion under Simba's care was being trained to take over a pride. They didn't know the reasons behind it. They didn't know that it was Mikazo's pride originally, or that the current king, the one Mikazo was training to dethrone, was cruel to his subjects. The other prides did not even know that Mikazo was not one of Simba's lions, that he was not a Pride Lander.

Since all the other prides knew of the whole thing was that Simba was training a lion to take over a pride, Zazu reported that the lions of those prides had begun to worry that what Simba was doing was training lions to take over more than one pride; to conquer neighboring prides to extend his land. As the misunderstandings were with the prides closest to Simba's, and were within traveling distance, they'd begun to worry that Simba planned to attack their prides to steal their land. It had taken a while for this fear to grow, however, because the surrounding prides knew what kind of lion Simba was. They knew his character was a strong one, a good one, and so they knew how unlikely it was for Simba to decide to train soldiers to conquer other prides. Still, they felt there was evidence enough to worry. The other prides were getting very nervous.

Knowing that a nervous pride worried of attack may decide to strike first, that the other prides might decide to attack the Pride Lands, Simba had decided to address the issue as soon as possible. He, Nala, Kovu, and Kiara would be traveling to the surrounding prides to tell them the whole story of Mikazo's training, and to allay their fears before they did anything rash.

The king and queen were planning to make the rounds. Kovu and Kiara had been invited along because Kiara hadn't yet met all of the Royal Families in the neighboring prides, and fewer still as an adult, and Kovu had only met one or two of them since becoming prince. Kovu and Kiara were the future king and queen of the Pride Lands, so it was important for them to get to know the rulers of the lands that surrounded theirs. They needed to reaffirm their relations with these prides, and make sure allies stayed allies. It also allowed them to listen to anyone who had problems with the Pride Lands, in order to head off any troubles before they could grow into something worse.

Daka would be going with his family as well. He was too young to go without milk yet, and Kiara was the only lioness at Pride Rock who was currently giving milk, so there was no one with whom he could stay who would be able to feed him. Since Kiara was going, and they'd be gone for three or four days, Daka had to be taken along. Not that the cub was complaining; he was thrilled at the chance to see the other prides and meet the lions who lived there, curious and friendly as Daka naturally was.

Simba, Nala, Kovu, and Kiara weren't worried about taking him to the other prides no matter how nervous those prides had become recently. They knew there wouldn't be any danger to Daka on this trip.

Normally, the Pride Landers were on very good terms with the lions of the various prides around their lands, and the Royal Family knew that none of the other prides would attack them on sight, especially since it would be plain to those they were visiting that they were arriving as a family, not in any sort of attack formation. Four lions and a cub weren't exactly a deadly strike force, after all. As well, they knew that none of the lions of the prides they'd be visiting would ever harm a cub. Simba and Nala were friends with many of the kings and queens of those prides, and knew them and their pride mates well enough to be sure of that.

Mikazo looked on as Simba finished speaking with Rafiki and turned to Msafiri. One short conversation later, Msafiri had accepted the task of watching over the Pride Lands while they were away. Msafiri's reaction had made it clear he was both deeply surprised and honored at being asked to take over for Simba with this, but Mikazo was sure Simba had made the right choice in asking Msafiri. Though they hadn't known him long, Mikazo knew Msafiri would take good care of the Pride Lands during Simba's absence.

With the necessities out of the way, Simba, Nala, Kovu and Kiara, with little Daka at his mother's side, were just about ready to leave. Before they could, however, Mikazo padded forward a few steps toward the group and stopped a few feet away.

"Simba?" he called hesitantly.

Simba glanced over. When he took in the look on Mikazo's face he groaned quietly in dismay and turned fully to face him.

"Oh no, Mikazo, I'm so sorry," Simba said in a low voice, leaving the group to walk over to the young lion. "I didn't mean for you to overhear it that way. I planned on coming to talk to you personally about the fact that we were going and the reason for the trip. I wanted to assure you that their miss-understandings are not your fault."

Mikazo shook his head. "It _is_ my fault," he corrected Simba. "I showed up at your pride out of nowhere. You didn't know me, didn't know who I was, but all you've shown me is hospitality and friendship. You've given me a place to stay, part of the hunters' catches, and you've trained me so I can get my pride back. And because of that, this happened." Mikazo swallowed roughly, feeling guilt twist in his gut. "Now you and the others have to rush off to these prides because of me, and what if they don't believe you? I've put your pride in danger! If they decide to attack, then-"

"They won't decide to attack," Simba cut him off. "I'm positive there's no chance of that, once we tell them the real story. And even if they did, Mikazo, it wouldn't be your fault." Mikazo made a disbelieving sound and opened his mouth to speak, but Simba wasn't finished. "You think that by being here, you've put the pride in danger? Mikazo, it was my decision to invite you to stay, to train you. You showed up out of nowhere, yeah, and you needed help. We couldn't have just turned you away, none of the pride could have done that. And the fact that the lions of the other prides are miss-informed about the reason for your training doesn't mean it's your fault."

Mikazo sighed and looked down at his paws, unwilling to meet Simba's earnest gaze. "But I've still caused trouble for you. Even if they don't attack, you, Nala, Kovu and Kiara have to make a days long trip because of this."

"Believe me, taking a trip really isn't that much of an inconvenience. Besides, it's been a long time since we've seen any of them and now is as good a time as any to pay a visit." Simba smiled. "And you've given more to this pride than you might think. You're a friend and comrade, to all of us. You've helped on our hunts, and fought by our sides when the jackals attacked. Mikazo, you've became part of this pride, as much as anyone else is."

Mikazo stared at him, touched. "Simba... thank you," he said when he found his voice, though the words felt inadequate. "That really means a lot."

"It's the truth," Simba said simply. Then he continued in a light tone. "So don't worry about this. Going to visit the other prides was really a bit overdue, anyway, since Kiara and Kovu need to get used to meeting with them. We would have had to make a trip soon, even without this." Simba grinned. "So really, Hakuna Matata."

Mikazo nodded in response. "Alright," he agreed.

Simba cast a look back at where Nala, Kovu, Kiara and Daka sat at the top of Pride Rock's slope, waiting for him. Well, Nala and Kiara were waiting for him. Daka was preoccupied with chewing on Kovu's tail, growling fiercely enough to hear from where Mikazo and Simba stood. And that, of course, was keeping Kovu's attention firmly focused as he played with his son.

Simba chuckled at the sight. "I'd better not keep them waiting any longer," he said, turning back to Mikazo. "Best to get going while Kovu still has his tail attached."

"Right," Mikazo agreed with a grin. "See you, Simba, and good luck with the other prides."

Simba nodded with a smile, then turned and rejoined the others. Daka quickly relented in his attack on Kovu, an excited smile on his face for the upcoming adventure, and the four lions and the cub headed down the slope into the Savannah.

Mikazo watched them go. He still felt a little guilty about the whole thing, but the conversation with Simba had taken a lot of the weight off. He hoped that Simba was right and there would be no trouble with the other prides. He certainly seemed sure that there wouldn't be, and as nervous as Mikazo felt at the thought that Simba might be wrong, he trusted the king's judgment. After all, Simba knew the lions of these other prides, had met them many times. He'd know far better than Mikazo could guess how the meetings with them would go.

Almost immediately after Simba and his family had gone, Rafiki approached Mikazo. It was time for another check up on Mikazo's neck wound, to see how its healing was coming along.

Mikazo settled down on the stone ground of the promontory, and Rafiki stood at his side and parted the mane fur around the wound.

Mikazo held still as Rafiki gently prodded the still slightly tender skin of his neck wound, head lowered to look at it closely. After a moment, the Shaman made a satisfied sound and stepped back from Mikazo's side.

"Dere, now," Rafiki said, his tone pleased. "Well, it looks as dough you will not need my services any longer, Mikazo… As long as you can manage to stay out of trouble, dat is."

"You mean it's completely healed?" Mikazo asked, turning to Rafiki hopefully.

"Ah, yes," Rafiki said with a nod. "Dere is no danger of it re-opening again, so you are free to play with your friends as much as you care to."

"That's great!" Mikazo exclaimed. He gave an experimental shake of his mane, glad to know that the jackal wound had finally fully healed. The shake caused him no pain, and with a grin, he rose to his paws, which tingled with sudden energy and the urge to race across the Pride Lands and play with his friends without having to hold back because of an injury.

"Dere is one ting," Rafiki added, lifting a hand to still Mikazo before he could ask if he could go. "De wound was quite deep, and dat it was re-opened did not help, and so, dough it is healed, I am afraid dat it has become a scar."

"A scar?" Mikazo twisted, trying unsuccessfully to look at the side of his neck. "How big of a scar?"

"Only de deepest part of de wound scarred, but even so, it stretches from de side of your neck to near your throat."

Mikazo winced, remembering the jackal's jaws clamping down and tearing at that part of his neck. "So it's pretty bad?" he asked, slightly dismayed.

"The scar itself is a large one, but de fact dat it's on your neck means your mane mostly covers it."

"Oh." Mikazo grinned and said, "Then I guess it's a good thing my mane is coming in pretty thick, isn't it?" Mikazo was joking, though he was secretly quite proud of how his mane was growing in. Lions' manes started to grow when they were around one and a half years old, and continued to grow until they were around five years of age. A lion became a full adult anywhere between two and a half to three years.

That meant that Mikazo, who was nearly two years old now, still had a fair bit of growing left to do in both his body size and his mane's length and fullness. Even so, Mikazo was pleased with how his mane was coming along. He liked the way it blew in the breeze and knew that it was now framing his face the way a proper lion's should. Of course, it was of fairly average length for a lion of his age, but Mikazo was still very happy with it.

Rafiki chuckled, a raspy, amused sound, and raised a hand to stroke the white fur that hung from his chin. "You young lions and your manes! Simba's father, Mufasa, was just the same way."

Mikazo grinned in response.

A thought suddenly struck him; now that he was fully healed, didn't that mean that he could finally go and check on his pride?

"So I can do whatever I want, now, and the wound won't reopen?" he double-checked.

"You're well enough to resume all normal activities, yes," Rafiki confirmed.

Mikazo's heart soared, filling with excitement and nervousness, and now he was itching to race to his pride. It had been so long since he'd last checked on them- back before the jackals had attacked. And then that attack had been followed by the flood, which Mikazo had been caught in so soon after the jackals that he'd had no chance to check on his pride before he'd been put out of commission again. And now that his injury had finally healed enough that he was in the clear to do so, it felt like every hair of his pelt was pricking with impatience.

Mikazo thanked Rafiki for all his help, and Rafiki took his leave.

Head lifted high, Mikazo got to his paws looked around, scanning the lions around him for Kimada. Many of the pride were laying scattered around on the promontory, lounging peacefully. Among them was Kimada, who was laying on his side, stretched out to his fullest extent with his eyes closed. He looked dead to the world, and Mikazo couldn't tell if he was asleep or just relaxing.

His friend looked so comfortable that Mikazo hated to disturb him, but he knew Kimada would definitely be upset with him if he went to check on his pride without inviting him along. After all, Kimada had made it more than clear that he intended to go with Mikazo the next time he went. Not to mention the fact that Mikazo really wanted him along, anyway. With that in mind, Mikazo headed over toward Kimada.

As he approached his friend, Mikazo suddenly remembered all the times that Kimada had pounced on him when he wasn't looking. With a grin, Mikazo decided it was time for payback. He backed up a little and dropped down into a low crouch.

Several of the lionesses who were sunning themselves nearby noticed Mikazo and his intention, looked between him and Kimada, and with grins of their own, backed away to give him room and watch the show. Mikazo assumed that a least of few of them had been victimized at some point or another by Kimada's antics and were eager to see some revenge play out.

Mikazo launched himself from the ground, and landed squarely on Kimada. With what could only be described as a squawk, Kimada jerked up and Mikazo tumbled off of him, laughing.

"Wh-what?" Kimada yelped, eyes wide and now on his paws. He whipped around and looked down at Mikazo, who lay on his back, still laughing. Around them, the reactions of the lionesses who were watching ranged from chuckling to full-blown laughter. Kimada glanced around, grinning sheepishly, before looking back at Mikazo.

"I can't believe you just _squawked_, Kimada!" Mikazo said breathlessly, when he could speak. "I didn't know it was possible for a lion to make that sound!"

"_Squawked?_" Kimada repeated in horror. "I did not!"

Mikazo struggled to control his hysterics. "Oh, you definitely did," he said with a nod.

"No, I didn't," Kimada protested. "That... it was a exclamation of surprise! I don't squawk!"

Mikazo snickered, rolling onto his stomach. "If you say so..."

Kimada snorted. "Well, you did just scare me awake," he said pointedly, looking like he was trying not to laugh. "And I was having such a nice dream, too... I was on an adventure!" He grinned slowly, a sudden gleam in his eyes that promised dire retribution. "I'm going to have to get you back for that, you know, next time you're sleeping."

"It wasn't my fault!" Mikazo protested, with alarm that was not entirely feigned. "It was my evil twin, I swear!" Kimada's eyebrows shot up. "It was!" Mikazo insisted. "I, the kind-hearted, _good _Mikazo, was reluctant to bother you when you looked so comfortable. But then I remembered all the times you'd pounced on me and my evil twin took over." Mikazo shook his head despairingly. "There was nothing I could do to stop him."

Kimada chuffed him in the head lightly. "You just keep telling yourself that, friend," he said.

Both of them laughed, and the other lions chuckled and commented on the good show as they returned to their own pursuits.

"So," Kimada said with a wide grin, "does this mean that you got the all-clear from Rafiki?"

"Yep! I'm free to do all the jumping I want, so, naturally, I thought of you first," Mikazo told him brightly.

"Alright!" Kimada cheered. "About time!"

"It sure is," Mikazo agreed wholeheartedly. "If I had to wait any longer for it to heal, I think I would have lost it."

"So how'd it heal?" Kimada asked.

"Pretty well, I've just got a scar," Mikazo said. He twisted his head to the side and lifted a paw to his mane, brushing aside the thicker, dark brown strands as best as he could to reveal the scar. "See?"

"Huh," Kimada said. He sounded vaguely impressed. "Not bad, you got a battle scar!"

"Yeah, I guess I do," Mikazo realized, feeling strangely pleased at the thought. "A battle scar... I hadn't thought of it that way." He grinned as well. "It's mostly covered by my mane, though." He paused thoughtfully. "Too bad it's not... I don't know, lightning-bolt shaped and on my forehead or something. That'd be cool!"

Kimada laughed. "It'd be awesome!" he agreed wholeheartedly. "Still, even if it is mostly covered, you've got bragging rights now!"

"I do, don't I?" Mikazo said with a grin. "I'll be sure to exercise those rights as often as I can."

With another laugh, Kimada dropped into a low crouch, his body tensed to pounce. "So now you're all better, up for a battle, then?"

Before Mikazo could agree, he remembered the reason he'd sought Kimada out in the first place. "Well, yeah, but first I want to check on my pride, and see how they're doing," Mikazo explained. Though a large part of him really wanted to just get back to tussling with Kimada, a far larger part of him needed to see his pride mates right away.

"Oh, right," Kimada remembered, frowning. "I forgot, sorry." He straightened from his crouch and said briskly, "So, ready to go, then?"

"Yep," Mikazo confirmed. "You still want to come with me, right?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

With a snort, Mikazo shrugged. "Well, no, that was mostly rhetorical."

"Good to know."

Mikazo smiled, feeling a surge of gratitude to his friend. He was glad that he didn't have to go alone. Not just because he might run into Jinamizi and wanted backup if that happened- he was pretty confidant that as long as he was careful, the rogue would never see him- but because he knew that seeing the condition his pride mates were living in would be hard, and it was nice that he'd have Kimada there for support.

"We'd better talk to Msafiri before we go, though," Mikazo said. "So he doesn't think we've vanished or anything."

"Right," Kimada agreed.

The two glanced around for Msafiri, and quickly spotted him sitting near the tip of the promontory from where he was looking out over the Pride Lands.

"Msafiri, can we speak with you?" Mikazo asked as he and Kimada reached Msafiri's side.

"Mikazo, Kimada," Msafiri greeted, turning to face them. "Of course you may. What can I do for you?"

"Well, Rafiki just finished examining me and my neck wound is all healed," Mikazo started to explain.

"That's wonderful!" Msafiri exclaimed. "I'm glad to hear that, Mikazo."

"Thanks, Msafiri," Mikazo said, smiling. "Well, now that I'm healed, I want to check on my pride, along with Kimada, and I wanted to let you know, so you'd know where we were."

"Check on your pride?" Msafiri repeated, looking suddenly wary.

"Yeah," Mikazo said, nodding. "It's been too long since I last went."

"I don't know about this," Msafiri said with a frown. "Simba's put a great deal of trust in me by leaving me in charge here, we've become very close over a short period of time, and I don't want to let him down. And even less than that do I want to see either of you hurt."

"We won't get hurt, Msafiri," Mikazo promised. "We'll be careful, I swear."

"I think you should wait until Simba returns and ask him if you can go," Msafiri insisted.

"Simba's the one who told us we could go," Kimada told him. "Well, he told Mikazo he could, once he got better anyway, and now that he has, we can do that."

"He did?" Msafiri said. "Well, then... But what if that lion, Jinamizi, finds you in his territory?" Msafiri's voice soured on Jinamizi's name and his eyes narrowed. It was clear he was still furious at the lion who had refused them shelter when Msafiri's mate, Masa, needed help. "He would kill you for trespassing, I'm sure of it. I believe the only reason he didn't attack any of my pride while we were there was that he would have been so outnumbered."

"As long as we stay hidden, Jinamizi won't find us," Mikazo assured him. "And with Kimada along, if he does find us, I'll have help until there's an opportunity for us to run."

"You wouldn't try to fight him, wouldn't try to take your pride back then?" Msafiri checked, meeting Mikazo's eyes seriously.

"No, I wouldn't." Mikazo shook his head. "We'd just get out of there."

"Good," Msafiri said. "I know how much you want to defeat him, and while I agree that he must be stopped, you're not strong enough yet."

Mikazo gave a somewhat reluctant nod, agreeing, though he was getting tired of being told he wasn't ready. As tired as he was of being told that, he knew that it was almost certainly true. "So can we go?" he asked.

Msafiri hesitated, his expression uncertain. "You really insist on making the journey now?" he asked. "You can't wait until Simba returns?"

"I'd really rather not," Mikazo said quietly. "Going without checking on my pride mates this long is driving me crazy, Msafiri. And when Simba and Rafiki went there, they saw that something was wrong with Tumaini... something was really bothering her. I have to find out what's upsetting her, and I have to see how they're all doing."

Msafiri sighed, pausing briefly before speaking again in a tone that was both reluctant and resigned. "You both promise to do everything you can to avoid being seen, and if you are found and confronted by Jinamizi, to run away rather than challenge him?"

"Yes," Mikazo said sincerely.

"We'll be careful," Kimada added.

Msafiri nodded. "Alright. You can go."

"Alright!" Mikazo exclaimed, thrilled, his call echoed a split-second later by Kimada. "Thank you, Msafiri!" Mikazo added, his words rushed in his excitement.

"You're welcome," Msafiri said with a slight smile at their reactions, though his eyes were still worried. "Just please be careful, the both of you." He paused, his expression thoughtful. "And maybe it would be a good idea to invite Timon and Pumbaa along, because according to some the of stories told when we gather in the evenings, Timon and Pumbaa practically raised Simba, and have fought at his side. It would make me feel better and probably Simba, too, if you took them along."

Mikazo and Kimada exchanged startled looks, then turned back to Msafiri.

"Take Timon and Pumbaa along?" Mikazo repeated.

"I think it would be a good idea," Msafiri said. "They could help if you do run into any trouble."

Mikazo and Kimada glanced at each other again, and Kimada shrugged. "Works for me," he announced with a smile.

A little more hesitant than his friend was, Mikazo said, "I love those guys, but do you think that they would be quiet enough?"

"They certainly know how to enjoy themselves but I think you can count on them when it comes to a need for stealth," Msafiri said.

"Alright," Mikazo agreed. "You're probably right. And it'll be nice to have them along."

"I'll see you both later, then," Msafiri said. "And again, be careful, both of you."

"Will do." Kimada grinned.

"We'll be back as quickly as we can," Mikazo promised.

The warthog and meerkat duo were nowhere to be seen on the promontory, so Mikazo and Kimada turned to head down the rocky slope that led into the grasslands.

"Good luck," Msafiri told them as they left, his expression still concerned. With a chorus of thanks, both young lions headed down into the Savannah.

A few of the Pride Landers were out in the Savannah as well. Kudura was sitting with Nyota and Mwezi in the shade cast by the promontory, and the three of them were talking together. Huni and Kukimbia were not far from them. The two lionesses were circling each other as they started up a mock battle.

It didn't take long to spot Timon and Pumbaa standing near a large log. Pumbaa was lifting the log with his snout easily despite its size and Timon was checking under it, clearly routing for bugs.

Mikazo, with Kimada at his side, headed toward the two insectivores.

"Timon, Pumbaa?" Mikazo called.

"You summoned us, our fine furred friends?" Timon asked, looking up from beneath the log where he'd been scooping up bugs. He dropped the bugs onto a leaf he was holding in his other hand.

"Hey, guys, we came to-," Kimada started to say, but Timon cut him off.

"Ahh!" the meerkat exclaimed. "You came to dine at Timon's fine establishment, 'The Insectivore Buffet'. All you can eat for one low price!"

Pumbaa snorted loudly, giving Timon a pointed look.

"Er, right... I meant to say Timon _and Pumbaa's_ fine establishment, 'The Insectivore Buffet'."

Pumbaa lifted his head with a wide, happy smile.

"Um, thanks but no," Mikazo said, unable to help but grin. "Actually, we came looking for you because we're going for a walk to spy on my pride, see how things are going over there, and we were asked to take you along because we were told that you would be helpful if we ran into trouble. We know that the two of you raised Simba, and helped fight for the Pride Lands-"

"Right you are," Timon interrupted Mikazo proudly. "I'll just hop on my trusty steed here and we can be off, right, Pumbaa?"

"Are you sure this is safe?" Pumbaa asked. "Does Simba know what you're doing?" He let out an uncertain grunt. "I'm not sure he'd like the idea."

"Well, Simba doesn't know we're leaving _today,_" Mikazo admitted. "But Msafiri okayed it, and Simba did say I could go when I'd fully healed. And yeah, we should be perfectly safe. We don't intend to get close enough to anyone to be caught."

Timon grinned and jumped up onto Pumbaa's head, grabbing onto the warthog's ears. "Then it sounds like it's time for an adventure!" he said. "Let's go, Pumbaa!"

Now that his worries had been put to rest, Pumbaa was just as eager as his meerkat friend. He grinned widely. "Alright, Timon!" He turned to the two lions and cheerfully said, "Lead the way!"

"Thanks, you two," Mikazo said gratefully. "Once we get close to my pride, we'll have to be quiet." A little bit of pride in his voice, Mikazo added, "I'm going to be in charge of that pride someday soon. They're my family, my pride mates. It's my pride by right, it's where I grew up, and once I go home for good and defeat Jinamizi, I'll make sure no one mistreats my friends again."

"We understand, Mikazo, and you can count on our help," Pumbaa said with a smile.

Kimada nodded firmly, clearly in agreement with Pumbaa's promise.

"Thanks, guys," Mikazo said again.

"Let's get going, then," Kimada said.

The four of them started out across the plains.

Msafiri's pride mates were down on the Savannah, as well. Zawadi was walking with Vema and Suluhu, with Azizi trotting along beside them, her little legs working quickly to keep up with her older and larger pride mates. All seemed to be in high spirits, and they were clearly setting off on a walk.

Even Voninahitra, Mikazo's new lemur friend, was out and about in a nearby tree and traveling from branch to branch with impressive agility and balance. Mikazo guessed that Vonny was either looking for good leaves to eat or had just wanted to spend some time climbing.

As they passed the tree, Vonny noticed them. "Mikazo, sir!" he called, springing down from the branches and onto the ground, before leaping forward to walk at Mikazo's side.

"Hey, Vonny," Mikazo greeted him with a slightly exasperated smile. "Are you always going to call me sir?"

"Of course!" Voninahitra said, his tone somewhat indignant. Before Mikazo could try to protest that, though he was learning that protestations rarely worked with Vonny, the lemur continued, "So, where are we going?"

"You're coming with us?" Kimada asked.

"Yes."

"Alright," Mikazo said with a chuckle. "Glad to have you along." As the group continued toward the Pride Lands' borders, Mikazo filled Voninahitra in on where they were going and why.

"That seems a worthy mission," Vonny decided when Mikazo's explanation was finished. The lemur was sitting on Mikazo's back now, just between his shoulders.

Mikazo nodded. "I think it is," he agreed.

"So lets pick up the pace," Kimada suggested. "We'll take forever to get there at this rate!"

"Right!" Mikazo said.

Mikazo, with Vonny on his back, his best friend Kimada, and Pumbaa, with Timon riding on his head, together quickened their steps as they headed in the direction of Mikazo's pride.


	21. Not Yet Grown

**Hi there! I can't believe it, but this is the fastest update I've made in a long time. Four days! Not a record, but better than my last, which was six months. I hope you like it. And I know it isn't popular to admit you love getting reviews, but everybody, I think, would like at least a small acknowledgment when they've worked really hard on something. I'd like to ask you to consider leaving even a short comment if you're out there and reading this. Thank you.**

The journey between the two pride lands took a little less than half the day, and the sun had just reached the center point of the sky by the time the two lions, warthog, meerkat, and lemur reached the border of Mikazo's pride. As they'd traveled, the group had been talkative, enjoying the journey and each others' company, and joking frequently. But Mikazo had became steadily more tense the closer they'd gotten to the place of his birth, and as they walked over the boundary line, his gait was stiff with nervousness.

Kimada was much more relaxed, and as they stopped just inside the valley territory, he glanced around at the lands with a casual air.

Mikazo did the same, casting a slow look at the plains surrounding them, drinking in the sight of his homelands. The recent rain fall had began to heal the grass here as well, just like in the Pride Lands, and the sprawling plains were now a mixture of the parched yellow grass and fresh green sprouts just beginning to grow. A brisk breeze blew, causing the leaves on the trees scattered throughout the land to rustle softly, and carried on it scents Mikazo had known since his birth; the scents of his home.

A sort of melancholy longing filled Mikazo, joining the worry he felt for his pride mates. How much longer would it be before he could truly call this land his home again, not just in his memories, but in the present day? How much longer would the rogue Jinamizi be in charge of the land whose king and queen he'd needlessly killed in order to rule, and in charge of the lionesses who clearly hated him?

Mikazo hoped that now that he was well enough to travel again, to train again, perhaps the day he'd be strong enough to overthrow Jinamizi was nearing. He knew he had a lot of work to do to get to that point, but he was determined to see it through.

"I wouldn't mind getting the chance to look around here, someday," Kimada said suddenly, startling Mikazo out of his thoughts.

"Well, when I get my pride back you're welcome to come and explore," Mikazo said, mustering a small smile.

"Aw, there goes my plan to sneak in uninvited," Kimada said with mock disappointment. "And it was really elaborate, too..."

Though Mikazo was still uneasy and upset, and that wasn't about to change any time soon, he appreciated what he knew to be Kimada's attempt to calm him by joking. So with a slightly wider smile than he'd managed before, Mikazo said, "Come on, let's find my pride mates."

With Voninahitra still riding on his back, Mikazo turned and started toward the center of his territory where his pride's cave was located. Kimada, Timon, and Pumbaa followed after him. All five kept carefully quiet as they walked deeper into Mikazo's homeland.

They passed animals in herds, pairs, and alone as they walked. But as had been the case the last two times Mikazo and Kimada had traveled to Mikazo's pride, they worked to stay hidden from the animals who lived in the territory just as they tried to avoid being seen by Mikazo's pride mates; and more importantly, by Jinamizi. It was almost certain that any animals who lived in this territory would recognize Mikazo as the prince of the pride, son of the former king and queen. It had only been a few months since he'd lived here, and though he'd grown, he suspected he was still recognizable. It was best to avoid any chance of having Jinamizi find out Mikazo was still alive.

It wasn't long before they came within sight of the low, sprawling cave that Mikazo's pride lived in. But as they neared it, all of them keeping low to the ground and walking as quietly as they could, Mikazo saw with surprise that his pride mates and Jinamizi apparently had visitors.

Two dik-diks, a male and a female, stood a short distance from the cave, and in front of them Jinamizi lazed on his stomach, staring at the two small antelope-like animals with a bored expression. One of the dik-diks seemed to be talking to Jinamizi, and though Mikazo couldn't hear exactly what he was saying to the rogue from this distance, his tone sounded imploring. Uzuri, Nuru, Cheneta, and Tumaini were standing in a group nearby, silently watching.

"What's up?" Kimada wondered in a whisper, exchanging a glance with Mikazo.

Mikazo shook his head, uncertain.

They slipped closer to the lions and dik-diks, hoping to get near enough to overhear what they were saying without being spotted. Their approach was silent, aside from a brittle stalk of grass crunching quietly under Pumbaa's hoof. Fortunately, Mikazo's pride mates, and Jinamizi, and the dik-diks, remained unaware.

The dik-diks must have come for an audience with the king, and it seemed that they'd arrived just shortly before Mikazo and the others had, so they'd not missed much of the discussion.

Now close enough to hear, Mikazo ears flicked as he heard the worry in the male dik-dik's voice; "Please, sir, there must be something you can do! Choyo just won't listen to reason."

"Yes, no matter how many times I've told him to leave me alone, he won't give up," the female dik-dik added in irritation. "He still wants me to be his mate. He refuses to accept that I don't like him, that Jasiri is already my mate, and he won't stop harassing me."

"It's getting to be a real problem," the male dik-dik, evidently named Jasiri, added. "Yesterday, he even tried to force Jua to go with him." Jasiri eyes narrowed angrily and his narrow muzzle twisted momentarily in a frown, but then he cast a proud look at his mate. "She gave him a few bruises to remember for trying, though." He looked back at the king, his expression sobering as he sighed. "But even so, Choyo's getting worse, he's getting violent. He wants Jua to be his mate, and won't take no for an answer."

Jinamizi fixed both dik-diks with a baleful glare as he lifted his head disdainfully. "Why is this my problem?" he demanded. "Solve it yourselves."

Mikazo felt his eyes widen, shocked, despite his knowledge of Jinamizi's personality. He felt Vonny the lemur, who was still in his spot on Mikazo's shoulders, stiffen in surprise as well, and out of the corner of his eye saw that Kimada, Timon, and Pumbaa were also shocked.

Tumaini, Uzuri, Cheneta, and Nuru didn't seem surprised at all, however; instead, they just looked between Jinamizi and the two troubled dik-diks with weary resignation.

"What?" Jasiri blurted after a stunned pause, staring at Jinamizi incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean _that this has nothing to do with me. It's not my problem," Jinamizi replied with a slight growl. "I have better things to do than tend to the petty problems of random animals."

"Pe-petty problems?" Jua gasped, her head drawing back in astonishment. "Choyo won't leave me alone! He's started threatening both of us!"

"Then deal with it yourselves and stop bothering me!" Jinamizi repeated impatiently.

Mikazo gave his head a slow shake of disbelieving horror. This was not the way a king should act! Jasiri and Jua had obviously tried to warn off this Choyo themselves, but it hadn't worked, so then they'd come to the king of their lands for help. Jinamizi should have been trying to solve their problem, to help them. All he'd have had to do was warn off Choyo himself, and if that didn't work, threaten punishment if Choyo didn't leave Jua and Jasiri alone. If the trouble-causing dik-dik still didn't listen and continued with his actions, then it was possible to solve the problem by banishing Choyo, though that extreme was only ever used as a last resort or for the worst possible offenses.

Jinamizi could have, should have, been doing any of those things, but he wasn't. He was completely ignoring his duty as king of the land, his duty to the animals who were his subjects. What was a king but someone who was meant to keep the peace and order among those over whom he ruled? A king's first responsibility was to his subjects, not himself; but Jinamizi clearly could not have cared less about the two dik-diks' troubles.

Jinamizi was not only cruel to the lionesses of his pride, but was also clearly a wholly unsuitable king for the kingdom and the animals who lived there.

"But..." Jua trailed off before she could even form a sentence, seemingly at a lose for words.

Jasiri, however, didn't seem to be having the same problem. "You're refusing to help us?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "To even _try?_ Because you have '_better things to do_'?" The little dik-dik's tone because scathing. "What kind of king are you? Hodari was always willing to help animals who needed it! He was a far better king than you'll ever be!"

There was a flash of tawny fur and a furious snarl as Jinamizi sprang at Jasiri, who didn't have time to dodge before the lion, perhaps six times his size and far heavier than he was, slammed a paw into him and pinned him to the ground. Jasiri hit the ground with a painful thud and cried out as the king's claws scraped his side.

"_Jasiri!_" Jua yelled frantically.

Uzuri, Cheneta and Nuru watched with wide eyes, and Tumaini tensed as though preparing to leap forward. Without a word though, Uzuri stepped halfway in front of Tumaini before the lioness could move; not truly blocking her path, but clearly discouraging Tumaini from doing anything rash.

"Jinamizi, what are you doing?" Uzuri's voice was far calmer than Jua's had been, though it was thin with horror as well.

Jinamizi ignored Uzuri's question, pressing his paw down on Jasiri, who gasped and winced as he was shoved further into the ground, and lowering his head until his muzzle was an inch from the dik-dik's. "_Never_ disrespect me," he snarled, his tone filled with rage. "If you ever even _try_ to speak to me like that again, I will kill you!"

"Ohhhh..." Timon said furiously, stepping forward. "Let me at 'em, let me at 'em!" He looked back at Pumbaa, grabbing his tail and holding it back for his friend to take. "Hold me back!"

"Okay," Pumbaa agreed, grabbing Timon's tail tip with his hoof.

Timon turned back toward Jinamizi, his feet scrabbling against the ground as he pulled against Pumbaa's hold, saying again, "Let me at 'em, let me at 'em!"

"Okay!" Pumbaa repeated, immediately releasing Timon's tail.

Timon's momentum made him stumble a few steps, but then he turned back toward Pumbaa, an exasperated look on his face. "You just never learn!" he groaned.

"Oh..." Pumbaa said, looking sheepish.

Timon and Pumbaa's brief exchange had been quiet, and though Mikazo, Kimada, and Voninahitra could hear it, those they watched were completely unaware. Even if they hadn't been speaking so quietly, Jinamizi's snarls would have masked any sounds Mikazo and the others might have made. Mikazo's paid the duo little attention at that moment, caught up as he was in what was happening.

Jasiri, still pinned to the ground, was panting with terror, his side jolting up and down beneath Jinamizi's paw, but he still managed to speak. "So you're not going to kill me now?" he asked. Though he was clearly terrified, his wide brown eyes were filled with indignation at the king's treatment of them, and he was obviously too angry to think before he spoke. "That's a surprise, considering-"

"Jasiri, be quiet!" Jua pleaded, cutting off her mate's words before he could doom himself any further.

"Yes, _shut up_," Jinamizi growled, his claws tensing on Jasiri's side again.

Jasiri cringed, closing his eyes in expectation of the end of his life. But then, with another rumbling growl, Jinamizi flicked his paw off Jasiri, sending him sprawling a few feet away where he lay stunned. After a moment, the tiny animal heaved himself to his hooves, wincing from his new wounds. Jua let out a shaky gasp and bolted to his side, putting her head under his neck in an attempt to help him stand. As Jasiri leaned against Jua with a pained grimace, she nuzzled into him as though desperately trying to both give and receive comfort; as though she were desperate to have confirmation that her mate was safe.

"Get out of here before I change my mind about letting you live," Jinamizi spat, glaring down at them. "And don't come back! I don't care what ridiculous issues you're having, they have nothing to do with me."

All four of Mikazo's pride mates had looked away once they'd realized Jinamizi was not going to kill Jasiri; they seemed unwilling to watch the horrid scene. But Mikazo could not look away.

He watched as Jua gave one of the scratches on Jasiri's side a quick, soothing lick. "Let's go, Jasiri," she said quietly.

"But... what about Choyo?" Jasiri protested, though his legs were trembling beneath him, whether from his injuries or from the aftermath of fear Mikazo couldn't tell.

"We'll figure it out," Jua replied.

"Leave!" Jinamizi snarled.

Alarmed at the fresh threat in his voice, the two dik-diks did so quickly. Mikazo watched with wide eyes as the two left, Jasiri limping and leaning heavily on Jua as they tried to move at a faster pace than Jasiri was entirely able. They soon vanished from sight into the deep grass.

There was a brief moment of silence as Mikazo, Kimada, Timon, Pumbaa, and Voninahitra hid in the grass, watching Mikazo's pride mates. Tumaini was glaring at Jinamizi's back, while Cheneta's gaze was fixed on the ground, her shoulders slumped. Both Uzuri and Nuru were staring at the patch of grass Jasiri and Jua had disappeared into, matching expressions of pained sympathy on their faces.

With one last irritated growl, Jinamizi turned and stalked back to where he'd been laying before, just in front of the cave. He dropped back down on his stomach with a thump.

Before putting his head down, though, he addressed Mikazo's pride mates. "You four, go and hunt something," he demanded shortly. "And it better be something good. I'm tired of the sub-standard fair you lionesses always bring in."

"We bring in what we can find, Jinamizi!" Tumaini, obviously angry about how Jasiri and Jua had been treated, snapped. "What exactly do you expect us to find?"

"Don't talk back to me!" Jinamizi growled, glaring at Tumaini. "The four of you will go on a hunt, now, and you will bring back something worthy for once!"

"Alright, Jinamizi," Uzuri responded in a strained voice, as though she were struggling not to snap at him herself. "We'll leave now." She turned to Tumaini, Nuru, and Cheneta. "How do you all feel about heading to the northern part of the territory?" she asked them. "We haven't hunted there in a while."

"Okay," Cheneta agreed, as the other two nodded. "Sounds good."

Before the lionesses could leave, though, Jinamizi added something else, his tone menacing: "And Tumaini, you had better not be... _careless_ on this hunt. Whether you want it or not, if I hear you did anything to endanger the birth of my cub, then you will regret it."

Every muscle in Mikazo's body froze at the same time as his brain. His thoughts seemed to skid to a complete stop as Jinamizi's words played repeatedly through his mind, shifting through them as he struggled to comprehend just what they meant- or perhaps, more accurately, trying to avoid understanding their true meaning, wanting desperately to believe that Jinamizi's words could mean something other than what they sounded like. He was too far gone to even notice his friends' reactions.

He did hear Tumaini's response, however. "I would never put this cub in danger on purpose!" she spat, her eyes blazing with fury as she spun back around to face Jinamizi. "_Never!_ No matter how much I despise you, or that you forced me to carry this cub, it's my cub!" Her voice lowered to a snarl. "How dare you act as though I would ever try to harm it?"

Cub. Her cub. Tumaini was pregnant. Tumaini was pregnant with Jinamizi's cub._ Jinamizi had forced her to carry his cub. _

Mikazo's thoughts returned, slowly at first as his brain processed this horrible, unbelievable information; and then they became a wild torrent. In a flash, rage burned throughout Mikazo's body, and he forgot that he wasn't ready to fight Jinamizi, wasn't strong enough yet- he forgot his promise to Msafiri that he wouldn't try to fight the rogue. He forgot everything except the fierce desire to attack, to tear Jinamizi apart.

A snarl built in Mikazo's chest and he lunged forward, intending to throw himself out of hiding and onto the rogue, intending to keep clawing and biting until Jinamizi moved no more.

"No!" Kimada's voice was a low vehement hiss, and he launched himself onto Mikazo before he could finish his leap, dislodging Voninahitra from Mikazo's back in the process. Kimada's weight fell heavily on Mikazo as he splayed across his back and went limp, pinning him to the ground.

Mikazo tried to thrash free of Kimada, but his friend, who was slightly larger and bulkier than he was, was a dead weight on top of him. Despite his fury and his wild efforts, he couldn't throw Kimada off.

"Mikazo, stop!" Kimada hissed frantically in his ear, his voice still low. "You have to stop! Calm down!"

Too furious with Jinamizi to even try to form a response to Kimada, Mikazo's claws tore into the ground as he continued to try and escape Kimada's hold, to get at the rogue.

Only a few seconds had passed since Mikazo had lunged at Jinamizi, and his wild thrashing and Kimada's intervention had sent the grass surrounding them rustling loudly, the stalks whipping back and forth.

The crazed movement and noise of the grass was impossible to miss, and Mikazo's pride mates and Jinamizi all spun toward the patch of grass Mikazo and the others were hidden in. They were all startled, but Jinamizi's expression quickly morphed into one of threat.

"Who's there?" Jinamizi said loudly, baring his teeth. "Show yourself!"

Mikazo's attempts to get loose did not falter in the least with the fact that Jinamizi had noticed their hiding place. He intended to show himself, all right, and then kill the rogue. Mikazo's mind was filled with blind rage, leaving no thought possible aside from the knowledge of what Jinamizi had done to Tumaini, to one of his closest friends, to a lioness he cared about as much as he would a sister.

Mikazo felt Vonny's weight join Kimada's on top of him as the little lemur leapt onto his head, trying to help Kimada hold him down. He was so light it made very little difference, and Mikazo paid it no heed.

Jinamizi, his eyes narrowed and a low growl coming from between his bared teeth, took a step toward their hiding place, clearly about to investigate.

Timon and Pumbaa exchanged a frantic glance, and then the pair seemed to come to an agreement. Timon sprang onto Pumbaa's back, and then Pumbaa quickly trotted in front of Mikazo, stepping out of the grass to face Jinamizi.

Timon and Pumbaa's unexpected action made it through to Mikazo, penetrating his rage, and he automatically froze in shock, the stalks of grass settling into stillness around him.

"What are they..." Kimada muttered to himself, his tone bewildered and close to panicked.

As the warthog and meerkat stopped in front of Jinamizi, he glared at them in irritation. "Not more useless animals! What do you think you're doing here? You better not have come here to bother me with more petty complaints!"

"Oh, no, not us!" Timon asserted quickly, throwing his hands up defensively. "Complaints? Who has complaints? We sure don't!"

"We're sorry, Sire,' Pumbaa said apologetically to Jinamizi. "We didn't mean to surprise you. We were just chasing a big fat beetle, that's why we were making so much noise." Pumbaa smiled a disarming smile.

Jinamizi snorted, his expression again disdainful. "Well, get out of here before I decide to chase a big fat warthog!" he spat, taking another step toward the two.

Mikazo was horrified, and that horror drove the anger over what he'd learned into a smaller part of his mind- certainly not gone, but no longer his primary thought- as Jinamizi threatened Timon and Pumbaa. What if he attacked them?

"Eeeyi!" Timon yelped, and Pumbaa quickly moved back several paces, one of his back hooves hitting a rock and causing him to fall on his backside. Timon tugged on Pumbaa's ears, trying to steer him back into the grass. "Right away, your highness! Let's go, Pumbaa, quick!"

Pumbaa had no argument there. He turned immediately and darted away from Jinamizi, back into the grass, and stopped, breathing quickly from fear, next to Mikazo, Kimada, and Voninahitra.

"I thought I told you all to go on a hunt?" Jinamizi snapped irritably at Uzuri, Tumaini, Cheneta, and Nuru, walking back over to his place in front of the cave and laying down once again. "Go now!"

The lionesses exchanged looks and set out northward without a word.

"Geez, what a temper!" Timon exclaimed. "If anyone needs therapy, that guy does! Yeesh!"

Mikazo blinked at the warthog and meerkat wordlessly; and Kimada, still sprawled across his back, seemed to share his shock. But after a moment, Kimada said, "We'd better get out of here." He looked down at Mikazo. "Can I let you up without you doing anything stupid?" he asked bluntly.

"Stupid?" Mikazo growled. Though his shock over what Timon and Pumbaa had done- what they'd risked- had worn off somewhat; now that they were back away from Jinamizi and hadn't been attacked, his anger was returning. Despite that, he unconsciously kept his voice as low as the others had, though it burned with emotion. "I'm going to _kill _him for what he did to Tumaini!"

"Not now, you aren't!" Kimada responded sharply. "You're not fighting Jinamizi right now! You're not ready, remember?"

Mikazo started to protest, but Kimada wasn't having it.

"You'd get yourself killed," he said, narrowing his eyes as though daring Mikazo to try to challenge his words. "I'm getting you back to the Pride Lands in one piece if I have to drag you by the tail!"

"Kimada, did you even hear what they said?" Mikazo spat. "He made Tumaini pregnant! She obviously wasn't willing, which means he... he forced her to mate with him!"

"I heard," Kimada growled, his ears flattening against his head. "And as much as I want to kill him myself for that, neither of us can, not right now!"

"Let me up!"

"No. Not until you promise you won't try to fight him now." Kimada glared down at Mikazo determinedly. "I won't let you get yourself killed because you're being an idiot. If you go and fight him now, he'll win and you'll die, and then who will save your pride?"

Kimada had hit upon the only thing that could have truly gotten through to Mikazo then- as he must have known when he said it. As furious, as murderous, as Mikazo was feeling right now, the part of him that had not lost all reason was as aware as it had ever been that he was incapable of winning against Jinamizi at the moment. And that part of him also knew that if he died, Jinamizi would remain the king of his pride, and Mikazo's pride mates would be forced to live under his rule permanently.

"Kimada..." Mikazo closed his eyes in frustration, dropping his head onto his fore-paws. "How can I let this go without doing something?"

"You have to," Kimada replied. He cast a glance through the tall grass stalks toward Jinamizi, who still lay on his stomach, unaware of them. "And we have to get out of here already; he almost caught us just now, and we've pushed our luck enough."

Mikazo growled, and every part of him except for the most rational part vehemently protested his next words. But when he spoke, his tone was much more even, though reluctant. "Alright. I promise I won't try to fight him. Let me up."

With a nod, Kimada stood and stepped off of Mikazo, and Voninahitra sprang down from where he'd been laying on Mikazo's head.

Mikazo pulled himself to his paws, trying to ignore the fact that Kimada watched him with a hint of wariness, as if slightly worried he'd attack Jinamizi anyway, despite his promise. "Let's go," he muttered, not looking at the others.

It took everything Mikazo had to turn his back on his pride's cave, on Jinamizi, and not even try to attack the rogue for what he had done. But he managed, and he, Kimada, Vonny, Timon and Pumbaa began walking back toward the edge of Mikazo's territory, back in the direction of Simba's Pride Lands.

Remembering how Jinamizi had stalked threateningly toward the pair, Mikazo glanced at Timon and Pumbaa as they walked, scanning them for wounds automatically, though he knew Jinamizi had not laid a claw on either one of them. They were fine, of course, if a bit subdued, though they all were after what they'd overheard.

Mikazo was still so angry with Jinamizi that his pelt prickled with it and his fur bristled slightly until he managed to settle down into a low, simmering anger. He was now under control enough to realize what his recent _loss_ of control could have cost them.

When he'd lunged forward like he had and caused the grass to rustle as wildly and loudly as it did, he'd drawn Jinamizi's attention to his group. If Timon and Pumbaa hadn't taken the risk they had and stepped out in front of the violent lion, they, two harmless animals that Jinamizi would not recognize, and caused the disruption, then Jinamizi would have searched their hiding spot and found Mikazo and the others.

If that had happened, if Jinamizi had found them, he surely would have recognized Mikazo as the son of Hodari and Kawanja, the king and queen he had killed to win control of the kingdom. He would have recognized Mikazo as the prince he'd failed to kill when Mikazo had run fleeing from his pride's territory, from his home in a desperate bid to survive. And, having recognized Mikazo, Jinamizi surely would have realized that Mikazo was not only alive and had not died while out on his own, that he hadn't been unable to fend for himself without his pride, but also that he planned to challenge Jinamizi for control of the pride.

Jinamizi would have attacked him on the spot, and Mikazo knew that he would not have tried to escape, had that happened. As angry as Mikazo had been in that moment, he was sure he would have stayed and fought the rogue right then- his determination to attack Jinamizi had, after all, been what had nearly caused him to find them in the first place.

If Mikazo had fought Jinamizi then, he was reluctantly aware that the chance of him being killed would have been very high. As much as his pride rebelled against it, he did know that. Because he wasn't fully grown, he was smaller and much lighter than Jinamizi was, and he wasn't nearly as well muscled. His anger may have given him somewhat of an edge if he'd fought, it may have put more force behind his blows, more fierceness behind his attacks, but there was very little chance that he could win against Jinamizi now, not until he'd grown more, become stronger.

The only reason Jinamizi had not found them then was because Timon and Pumbaa had intervened as they had.

Knowing this, Mikazo realized that the danger Timon and Pumbaa could have been in by attracting Jinamizi's attention the way they had, was, in essence, his fault.

Feeling the sudden wash of guilt replacing, at least for the moment, the last of his anger, Mikazo said, "Timon, Pumbaa?" When the duo glanced over at him, Mikazo continued, "You guys really risked a lot back there, and you saved us." He sighed. "Kimada's right; I was being an idiot and I would have gotten myself killed, and maybe you guys, too, if you hadn't stepped in. So I just have to say I'm really sorry, you guys could have died because of me. And thank you for doing what you did and making Jinamizi think the grass was rustling because of you. You both were really brave, and like I said, you really saved us."

"Ah, think nothing of it," Timon said, waving a hand dismissively, though he was clearly preening the praise. "Distractions! It's what we do!"

"Yep!" Pumbaa exclaimed. "Happy to help!"

Mikazo nodded with a small smile.

As they walked back toward the Pride Lands, Mikazo glanced back toward his pride's cave one more time. It was just a silhouette on the horizon now, and would soon be gone from sight. He then looked toward the north of the territory, wondering how his pride mates were doing on their hunt there. His pride mates... Tumaini, Nuru, Cheneta, Uzuri... he missed them so much.

He'd slowed when he looked back, and so he trotted to catch back up to his friends. "I hate leaving them," he said quietly to the others as he drew even with them. "Every time I come here, I just want to run to them, to nuzzle them all, to talk to them. But every time I come here, I have to leave again. They're my family, and I miss them..." He closed his eyes, choking back a sob before it could escape. "And look at how they're living, how he orders them around. Look at _Tumaini_, at what that rogue's done to her..."

None of the others seemed to be able to think of a helpful response, and they all were silent for a moment. Then Kimada stepped closer to him, until his pelt brushed Mikazo's as they walked.

"You'll stop him," Kimada said, clearly trying hard to be reassuring. "You'll get your pride back and stop that rogue."

"It's too late to help Tumaini," Mikazo responded, his voice breaking. "She's pregnant with his cub! He forced her to..." He couldn't continue; his stomach heaved and he clenched his eyes as he thought of what Tumaini had lived through, what she was forced to live through now.

"I know," Kimada's eyes were pained. "But... you can still get your pride back and then make sure Tumaini and everyone else have the lives they deserve. It's not too late for that."

"Kimada's right," Voninahitra put in softly. The little lemur was walking even with Mikazo's fore-paws, and as he looked up at Mikazo, his amber gaze was sympathetic, but sure and steady. "You will save your pride mates from that lion's rule, and though you can't reverse what has happened to Tumaini... well, maybe it will work itself out."

"Yeah, cheer up, buddy!" Timon said. "Come on, moping isn't going to help anyone!"

"Right," Mikazo agreed weakly. "You're all right." He shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "Now that I've healed, I'm going to train harder than ever," he announced. "And then I'm going to challenge Jinamizi. I'll get my pride mates away from him, so they never have to deal with anything like this again."

Mikazo knew more than ever now that he had to do this. He had to get his pride and his lands back from Jinamizi. He had to take his rightful place as the prince- as the king of these lands, so that they would not be under Jinamizi's rule anymore. His pride mates needed his help. And he'd seen today that it was not just the lionesses of his pride who were suffering from Jinamizi's reign; so were Jasiri and Jua the dik-diks, and if they were, it was likely that other animals of the territory were as well. He had to get his lands back for them, too.

Kimada nodded. "I promised before that I'd help you get your pride back, Mikazo, remember?" he reminded his friend. "Back when you and I first came here with Simba, when you first thought of coming to see how your pride mates were doing. I meant it. Even if all I can do is help you train, then I'm going to be the best training partner in the history of the world until you're able to beat this guy." His serious expression disappeared as he broke into a grin. "After all, I won't have to work too hard to get to that point, will I? Admit it; I'm already pretty much the best training partner in the world."

Mikazo couldn't help but chuckle. "Try to deflate that head of yours a bit, Kimada. You might collapse under its weight, and I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Kimada snorted. "My head is perfectly proportional to my skills, thanks."

"_Sure _it is..." Mikazo sarcastically agreed, smiling much more widely now. "Alright, Kimada, I fully expect you to be the best training partner in the history of the world from now on. No slacking off, okay?"

"You got yourself a deal," Kimada agreed.

"Thank you, Kimada," Mikazo said sincerely, dropping the joking attitude.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Kimada smiled. "And besides, there's something in it for me too, after all; I'm pretty sure I asked for a hero's feast in return back when I first said I'd help, and that still stands."

Mikazo shook his head, amused... and somewhat impressed at Kimada's memory. It had been a few weeks since they'd had that conversion. "Alright, then, you'll get your hero's feast. But _I'm_ picking the prey."

It wasn't long until they reached the edge of Mikazo's territory. By this time, twilight had taken over the sky, darkening it to deep blue and rich purple. Faint dots of light were scattered throughout as the stars began to appear, just barely visible between the color-stained clouds.

With Kimada, Vonny, Timon and Pumbaa at his side, grateful to have such great friends and with a renewed determination to reclaim his pride, Mikazo crossed the border and continued back toward the Pride Lands.


	22. Strengthened Resolve

**Here's another chapter! I was really pleased with the number of reviews and even favorites and follows last chapter, thank you so much! This chapter came out much more easily than I thought it would, and it's also the longest chapter yet for To Reclaim A Birthright. I hope that you like it. **

**On another subject, if anyone feels like checking it out, I have a DeviantArt account, also under the name of TabbyBri, that has drawings of some of my lions from this story. **

Night had fully fallen by the time Mikazo, Kimada, Timon, Pumbaa, and Voninahitra reached Pride Rock. Clouds still covered the sky, blocking much of the starlight, and Mikazo suspected from their dark and bloated appearance that it would start raining again before daylight returned.

The group headed up the rocky slope and onto the jutting promontory. Mikazo glanced around and saw that though most everyone was in the cave and asleep, a few lionesses were still laying around, enjoying the late evening.

Timon and Pumbaa quickly bid them good night through wide yawns, and headed into the cave at a weary pace. Voninahitra did the same, making a beeline for the ledge above Mikazo's sleeping spot, his black and white banded tail dragging tiredly on the ground behind him. He was obviously ready for a good night's sleep.

Mikazo was very tired himself, for that matter. Today had been exhausting, both emotionally and physically; but at the same time, he felt too on edge for sleep to be an option yet.

Kimada stayed at Mikazo's side for a moment more, yawning. "It's been a long day..." he said quietly.

"Sure has," Mikazo agreed, sitting down to rest his aching paws. They weren't, by any means, the only part of Mikazo that was aching. Much of his body was sore from the long trip, and his mind buzzed nonstop despite his tiredly-blurred thoughts, fueled by what he'd just learned about Tumaini's situation.

Msafiri was awake as well, laying near the middle of the promontory, his head tilted back as he looked up at the sky. When he noticed that Mikazo and his friends had returned, he stood and headed toward the two young lions. "Mikazo, Kimada," he said as he reached their sides, "I'm glad to see you back."

"Hey, Msafiri," both of them greeted.

"How did the trip go?" Msafiri asked in concern. "You both seem a little... shaken up." He turned his gaze more fully on Mikazo, his eyes troubled. "Especially you, Mikazo."

Mikazo winced. How could he even begin to relate how the trip went? What they'd found out... "Well," he muttered. "If we do look shaken, there's a pretty good reason for it."

"Nothing happened with Jinamizi, did it?" Msafiri asked, alarmed. "You weren't caught?"

"Oh, no, we weren't!" Mikazo exclaimed. He hadn't meant to give that impression. "Well, not exactly, anyway..." he continued awkwardly. "Nearly, kind of." He looked down at his paws in embarrassment, aware that he was rambling a bit. But he'd just realized that he'd have to tell Msafiri about how he'd lost control and nearly attacked Jinamizi, how he'd nearly broken his promise to Msafiri not to fight the rogue, and how he'd put his life and the lives of the others in potential jeopardy because of that. He was bound to be disappointed in him, and Mikazo found suddenly that the thought of disappointing Msafiri was a surprisingly painful one.

Msafiri's eyes narrowed, confused. "What?"

"It's a long story," Kimada said.

With input from Kimada, Mikazo told Msafiri what had happened while they were at his pride; about Jasiri and Jua the dik-diks, about Jinamizi ordering his pride mates to hunt in such a demanding way... and about Tumaini's forced pregnancy to Jinamizi.

"What?" Msafiri's voice was filled with horrified shock. "Tumaini is pregnant?"

"Yeah," Mikazo said quietly, his throat tight. "And from the way Jinamizi ordered her to be careful on the hunt... from the way he threatened her if she wasn't, he seemed to think that Tumaini might try to... to get rid of the cub before it can be born." He looked up at Msafiri's face, which was still frozen in horror, and added quickly, "Which she wouldn't. I know she wouldn't. Tumaini is too good for that."

"I believe that, from what you've said about her," Msafiri murmured after his shock had passed slightly. "This is terrible." His expression hardened as he growled. "What kind of lion would do that to a lioness? Force himself on her?"

Mikazo shook his head, feeling another roll of nausea at Msafiri's words. "I don't know," he said, his voice strained. "An evil one... Jinamizi is _evil!_" He snarled to himself, a shadow of the rage he'd felt back at his pride resurfacing as he thought of the rogue, and before he could stop himself, words came tumbling out, harsh and fast with grief and anger; "He killed my parents, and he didn't need to, he just did because he _wanted_ to, and Jamili, too- Uzuri's son, her little_ cub_- and now he's done_ this_ to Tumaini! How could he have done this to her?" Mikazo broke off abruptly, resisting the senseless urge to continue ranting, and closed his eyes, trembling as he struggled to get a hold on himself.

After a moment, Mikazo opened his eyes again, and Msafiri nodded solemnly. "He is a monster, there's no doubt of that," the king said quietly.

"And more than a little psycho," Kimada added with a grimace.

"That as well," Msafiri agreed with some wryness. "So you found out Tumaini is pregnant... I don't know what to say to that, or if there's anything that can be done to help her. At least not until Jinamizi is dethroned." He sighed and shook his head, then asked, "What happened then?"

"Um, well..." Mikazo looked off to the side of the promontory, away from Msafiri. "Tumaini told him that she would never hurt the cub, and then she mentioned that he forced her to carry it... and after that, well, I..." He trailed off and looked back at Msafiri, whose expression was confused for a brief moment, and then his eyes widened with realization.

"You attacked Jinamizi, didn't you?" Msafiri's tone was caught between resignation and horror.

"He _tried_ to," Kimada corrected. "I stopped Mikazo, then Timon and Pumbaa distracted Jinamizi, so he didn't find us."

"Yeah," Mikazo confirmed. He explained how Kimada had held him down and stopped him from attacking, how his attempts had caused the grass to be thrashed about, and how Timon and Pumbaa had put themselves at risk and told Jinamizi they'd made the ruckus.

"I'm sorry, Msafiri," he said when he was done, eyes downcast. "I know I promised you I wouldn't try to fight Jinamizi, and I really didn't intend to break that promise. I know how dangerous what I did was, to all of us, that Jinamizi could have killed any of us. But when I found out what he'd done to Tumaini..."

"You just lost control," Msafiri finished with a sigh. Mikazo looked up at him, searching his expression. It was disappointed, just as Mikazo had feared- but understanding as well. "I wish you hadn't, Mikazo, but I can see why you did."

"He snapped out of it pretty quickly, though," Kimada said, looking between Mikazo and Msafiri, and seeming to note his friend's embarrassment and dismay. "I mean, yeah, he was a bit of an idiot, but he didn't actually attack Jinamizi. He let us talk him out of it."

"That's good to hear," Msafiri said. "And I suppose that, thanks to Timon and Pumbaa, no real harm came of it." He focused back on Mikazo. "But it was still a foolish thing to do, Mikazo, and it could have ended very badly."

"I know," Mikazo said. "I'm sorry."

Msafiri nodded, his expression lightening. "I probably would have reacted the same."

Mikazo and Kimada exchanged looks, both grinning at Msafiri's words- though Mikazo's grin was mostly one of relief that Msafiri didn't seem to be too upset with him for loosing control back at his pride.

The two young lions quickly finished telling Msafiri what had happened while they were gone, though there wasn't much more to tell; just the account of the five of them heading back from Mikazo's territory to the Pride Lands.

"You've had an interesting day, to say the least," Msafiri commented when they were done.

Kimada let out a small snort. "Interesting is one word for it..."

"I just can't believe Tumaini's pregnant," Mikazo whispered, barely loud enough for the other two to hear. His head still felt thick and heavy with thoughts of what he'd discovered, and he unconsciously pressed his ears flat to his skull and lowered his head as he continued, "And against her will..."

"It's horrible," Msafiri agreed heavily.

"Yeah. I'd like to kill Jinamizi myself for that," Kimada muttered in an uncharacteristically dark tone.

Mikazo looked up and around as the last few lionesses who were laying on the promontory rose to their paws, stretched, and headed toward the cave for sleep. A brisk breeze blew over Mikazo, Kimada, and Msafiri, bringing with it the scent of rain soon to fall. The wind was chilly both from that coming rain and the night-time air. Mikazo hadn't realized how late it was getting, but looking up at the sky, he saw that it was perhaps over a quarter into the night- well past sun-down.

"It's getting pretty late," Mikazo commented, slightly surprised. His mind had hardly been on the time of day, and time had passed more quickly than he'd expected.

"It is," Msafiri said with nod. "Kimada, would you mind if I had a private word with Mikazo?" he asked.

Kimada glanced at him in surprise, then nodded as well. "Sure, I was just about to head off to sleep anyway," he agreed. "See you guys tomorrow."

"See you, Kimada," Mikazo responded.

"Sleep well," Msafiri added.

"Thanks!" Kimada padded away from the two of them, and Mikazo pricked his ears expectantly as he looked at Msafiri.

As Kimada disappeared into the cave, Msafiri turned to Mikazo, eyes narrowed with concern, and asked, "Are you alright, Mikazo?"

He didn't need to ask what Msafiri meant. "Not really," he answered honestly. "Tumaini's one of my best friends, my pride mate... And she's been forced by Jinamizi to carry his cub." Mikazo closed his eyes with a pained sigh- and then he drew in a sharp breath as a new thought occurred to him, bringing with it such a wave of guilt that his legs almost buckled with the force of it. "If I had done something earlier," he choked, his chest and lungs suddenly feeling as though they had been cinched tight by horror, "if I'd at least _tried _to stop Jinamizi earlier, than maybe now she wouldn't be-"

"Mikazo!" Msafiri cut him off sharply, and Mikazo's head jerked up in shock at the fierceness in Msafiri's tone. "Do not start thinking that way! You couldn't have defeated him before, and you can't win against him right now, I thought you realized that." Msafiri's voice softened as he continued, "You could have done nothing to prevent this. And what has been done to Tumaini is the blame of no one but Jinamizi."

"I know that," Mikazo said, frustrated. "I_ know_ it's Jinamizi's fault! But what if I could have done something? Anything that would have stopped this from happening! Killed Jinamizi in his sleep or... or something..." Even as he said that last part, he flinched at the thought of doing something so underhanded, so against everything Hodari and Kawanja had taught him.

Msafiri didn't blink. "I can't imagine you would ever do something like that," he said. "And why would you? What would have spurred you to kill Jinamizi in his sleep? I wouldn't have thought even Jinamizi would sink to the level he has. You couldn't have predicted what would be done to Tumaini, so you couldn't have known to prevent it."

"But I thought of doing it once, killing Jinamizi in his sleep," Mikazo admitted softly. "The first time I went to check on my pride, when Simba and Kimada went with me. It was night, and I nearly attacked him where he slept. He wouldn't have noticed me until I was already attacking; I think it's possible I would have won, then, and Jinamizi wouldn't be around now to ruin my pride mates' lives like he is."

"What stopped you, then?" Msafiri asked, his eyes on Mikazo's face and his voice even.

"A couple of things," Mikazo said, shaking his head. "First, it- it just seemed wrong to do. Dishonorable, I guess, as... as pompous as that sounds. Like something Jinamizi would do. And I didn't want to get myself killed and leave my pride mates stuck with him for good. I might have won, yeah, but there's a good chance he would have killed me." He sighed. "But... I didn't attack mostly because if I beat him that way, it would have been wrong, the coward's way. Attacking and killing a lion who's just laying there, asleep, defenseless, instead of challenging him to a battle so he could fight back... I don't think a king should act that way, not a good king. I know my father wouldn't. And that's not how my parents raised me to act, either."

Mikazo's words didn't come just from the memory of that moment, several weeks ago, when he'd been crouched in the stream in front of his old cave, looking in at his sleeping pride mates and Jinamizi; it was how Mikazo had felt then, yes, but it was also how he felt still.

As angry and as guilty and most of all, as _useless_, as he felt about not having stopped Jinamizi's most recent deed- that he knew of- before it could happen, and for even now leaving that deed unpunished; someone who could kill a lion in his sleep was just not who Mikazo was. If he had killed Jinamizi back then, while the rogue was asleep, it would have amounted to murder. It wouldn't have been fair to attack Jinamizi as he slept, unaware that an attack was coming- although a part of Mikazo argued that Jinamizi had given up all his rights to fairness the day he challenged Mikazo's father and killed both his parents.

But that was just it, wasn't it? What Jinamizi had done, the way he had taken the throne from Hodari and Kawanja, was neither right nor fair; and though it was tempting, _very_ tempting, to give in to his anger, to answer it with similar disregard for rightness and fairness, Mikazo couldn't. If he did, no matter the reasons behind the action, it would make him in some way similar to Jinamizi. And even though that would be the only way he'd be similar to Jinamizi, even though he would rule his pride _very_ differently than Jinamizi was doing, that wouldn't lessen the wrongness of taking the kingdom from the rogue through an underhanded and sneaky attack. At least not in Mikazo's mind.

Msafiri nodded, and there was an expression on his face that took Mikazo a second to realize, with a jolt of surprise, was pride. "Your parents raised you well," he said. "All of those reasons not to attack Jinamizi as he slept are very good ones. You were right not to, Mikazo." He frowned as he continued, "And as for what you found out today, you have to remember that you couldn't have done anything to stop Jinamizi from ra..." Seeing Mikazo's flinch, Msafiri paused abruptly, and then went on more delicately, "...from doing what he's done to Tumaini. You shouldn't keep that guilt on your conscience when it's in no way your fault."

Msafiri stopped talking and stared at Mikazo, his gaze pointed. Realizing the other lion was waiting for a response, Mikazo gave a small nod. "Alright," he agreed quietly. "I just feel so bad for Tumaini, and so useless just standing here, doing nothing..."

"Just do what you can do, and train," Msafiri said. "If you put as much work into your training as I'm sure you will, it won't be very long before you're able to challenge and defeat Jinamizi in a fair fight."

"I hope you're right," Mikazo said, uncertain, and then he added much more surely, "And I _am _going to get my pride back from him, no matter how long it takes."

Msafiri nodded. "You will," he agreed. "And I think it's time for both of us to get some sleep. Tomorrow is soon enough for you to get back to training."

With another glance at the dark, cloudy sky, Mikazo thought that Msafiri was right about it being time to get to sleep. If they stayed up much longer, they'd both be waking up in the afternoon. Mikazo's mind was still in somewhat of a muddle, with his overwrought emotions and thoughts clashing together into a confused tangle. But he was now so tired that his exhaustion overruled even his feelings on the events of the day.

"Right," Mikazo said. "I'm definitely ready for some sleep."

Both lions turned and headed side by side into the cave for the night.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The next morning, Mikazo stepped out of the Pride Rock cave to find that the rainstorm that had been nearly omnipresent since the start of the rainy season, had indeed restarted.

The rain fell heavily, rattling on the stone of Pride Rock and soaking Mikazo's fur to the skin within a few seconds. He didn't really mind, though; getting wet was preferable to staying in the cave all rainy season. He wasn't the only one to think that way either. Only a few Pride Landers remained in the cave, which meant that most of them must be out and about around Pride Rock and the Pride Lands.

As Mikazo looked around, taking in the morning and the somewhat surprising fact, considering his late night, that the sun had not been up for long, he saw Rafiki standing nearby.

When Rafiki saw Mikazo exit the cave, he started over to him. Mikazo paused in trepidation as he noticed that Rafiki wasn't really_ walking _toward him so much as _stalking_.

"Um, hello, Rafiki!" Mikazo greeted as cheerfully as he could, throwing in a grin for good measure as he wondered what was up; and judging by the look on Rafiki's face, just how much trouble he was in. Rafiki stopped in front of him, eyes narrowed slightly and arms crossed, and Mikazo added, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, yes," Rafiki said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. "Tell me, did you hit your head recently?"

Mikazo blinked in bewilderment. "Hit... hit my head?" he repeated blankly.

"Yes, because if you did, perhaps dat's why you were confused about the meaning of the word 'normal'."

Mikazo said the only thing that he could think to say. "Huh?"

"Do you happen to remember yesterday, when I told you you were well enough to resume all _normal_ activities?"

Mikazo felt his eyes widen as he realized where this was going. "Um... yes."

"Were you tinking dat dat meant a long trip and a potential vicious battle was 'normal'?" Rafiki asked incredulously.

"Well... yes?"

Rafiki's face smoothed out, turning blank, as he said calmly, "Well, if you did hit your head, and dat is what caused you to tink _dat _was what I meant by normal, I tink anoder hit to de head might be just what you need to fix your confusion."

"What?"

_Whack! _

Mikazo winced with a shocked yelp, reeling backward as Rafiki's stick made contact with the top his head. By instinct, he tossed a paw up onto his head, covering the spot the stick had struck.

"Dere, dat should do it," Rafiki announced with apparent satisfaction, and then turned without another word and walked down Pride Rock's slope toward the Savannah. Mikazo watched him go, his paw still on top of his head and his mouth hanging slightly open.

Shaking himself from his daze, Mikazo sat down and lowered his paw back to the ground, still staring after Rafiki.

"What in the world did you do to annoy Rafiki, Mikazo?" he heard from behind. From the sound of it, the lioness belonging to the voice was having a hard time holding back her laughter.

Mikazo looked around to see Zawadi, Kimada's sister, padding up to him. She was as soaked as everyone else, and her reddish-gold coat, so much like her brother's in its shade, dripped from the rain, but her eyes were bright with amusement.

"Hey, Zawadi," Mikazo said, grinning in greeting. He glanced toward the slope, where he'd last seen Rafiki, and then back to Zawadi, who'd reached his side by now. She sat next to him, still looking amused. "It was just a misunderstanding; he thought I should behave, and I thought I knew what I was doing."

Zawadi laughed. "I haven't been here long, but even I'm already pretty sure it's never a good idea to go against anything Rafiki says," she said, still chuckling. She nudged his shoulder with her own, and adding jokingly, "So shouldn't you know better?"

"Well, I didn't _exactly_ go against what Rafiki said," Mikazo attempted to defend himself. "I just... kinda misunderstood what he meant when he said I was well enough to go back to normal activities. I didn't really realize he didn't think traveling to my pride fell into that category, and I guess he thinks I should have waited a bit longer after healing fully until I went to check on them." He shrugged, remembering how sore he'd been when he'd gotten back to Pride Rock the night before. "He might be right, but it's too late now."

"Oh, that's right," Zawadi said. "I heard that you, Kimada, Timon, Pumbaa and Vonny went to your pride yesterday. I haven't heard how it went yet, though. Kimada's off in the Savannah somewhere, I think, so I haven't had a chance to ask him." She paused for a moment, as if waiting, and then prompted, "So how'd it go?"

"It was... a lot happened while we were there, Zawadi," Mikazo said, sighing.

She paused again as she seemed to take in Mikazo's expression, and then asked more softly, "Like what?"

With some reluctance, not wanting to go through the story again but knowing that Zawadi had a right to know what had happened, since her brother had been involved, and because of that, had been in potential danger, Mikazo explained again what they'd witnessed and learned at his old territory.

Her reaction to the story of Jasiri and Jua, the dik-diks, was one of indignation and anger at Jinamizi. When Mikazo got to the part about Tumaini and her pregnancy, Zawadi looked as horrified as Msafiri had. Her expression quickly changed into one of outrage.

"That piece of rotting _vulture-feed!_" she spat, her voice sharp with vehemence. "He should be ripped apart and fed to the scavengers!"

"That _is_ the plan," Mikazo muttered.

Zawadi shot him a slightly surprised look, probably at his dark response, then said, "For him to have done this to Tumaini... I mean, how does he justify it to himself?" She shook her head in disgust. "I don't know Tumaini, but she was the one who, I think, was trying to give our pride a hint about where to go to get help for Masa- you know, when Msafiri, Masa, and the rest of us passed through your territory. Msafiri told me that Tumaini jerked her head in this direction, and I'm pretty sure she was telling us to come this way, to the Pride Lands. I think she really risked a lot just to help us, with Jinamizi watching, and she didn't even know us."

"That's just what Tumaini is like," Mikazo said, feeling a warm burst of pride for his friend, though it was tempered with sadness at what she was going through now. "She'd help anyone in trouble, whether she knows them or not."

Zawadi smiled slightly. "She does seem like a good lioness." Then she shook her head again, her expression distressed. "And now, what he's done to her... I can't imagine what it would be like if that happened to me."

"He can't just get away with what he's done to my parents, my pride mates, and now Tumaini," Mikazo said, and then all but growled, "And I'm not about to let him get away with it."

Zawadi nodded, though she now eyed Mikazo with what seemed to be reluctance. "I think you're right, and you obviously do need to beat him. But I saw Jinamizi, Mikazo. He didn't look like someone who would be easy to beat. I mean... no offense to you, but you're a lot smaller than he is. He's pretty big, even for a full adult."

"I know," Mikazo agreed. "I don't expect it to be easy, for sure. But I just have to train until I'm strong enough to beat him. I don't have any other choice- I can't just sit by, after all."

"Right, that's not an option," Zawadi acknowledged with a sigh. After a short pause, she asked, "So what's the plan for today? I'm guessing you're going to get some training done?"

"Yeah," Mikazo said with a nod. "I just have to find Kimada first, and then we can head off to the training field."

"Alright, let's go find him, then," Zawadi said, rising to her paws. "I'll come along, too." She smiled. "I think I might join in at some point. After all, two training partners are better than one, right?" Her smile changed to more of a teasing smirk and she cocked her head at a jaunty angle. "And I'd like to see you try to win against me."

Mikazo laughed. "Okay, challenge accepted, and it's not going to as easy as you think." He stood as well. "I'm glad you're coming, Zawadi. You're right, it'll be nice to have two training partners."

The two of them headed toward Pride Rock's slope, and quickly padded down.

A short distance from the bottom of the slope, just barely off the stone and in the grass, crouched Msafiri with his daughter, Azizi, who was leaping around him in a blur of movement. The small cub was repeatedly launching herself at her father, swatting at his ears, and then dashing out of the way of his playful retaliatory strike.

Mikazo watched in amusement as Azizi abruptly changed tactics, and with a gleeful laugh, leapt up at her father's shoulder in a pounce. Msafiri rolled with it, letting the tiny cub knock him onto his side, and then pawed at her as she tugged at his ear and mane.

As Mikazo and Zawadi approached, Msafiri looked up from his place on the ground. "Hello there, you two," he said, causing Azizi to let go of him as she glanced up to see who was there. The little lioness slid off of Msafiri's shoulder and into the grass as he rolled onto his stomach.

"Hello," Azizi chimed in, though she seemed distracted; she was crouched low and seemed to be scanning her father for a good place to attack next.

"Hi, Msafiri, Azizi," Mikazo said.

"Looks like Azizi's having fun," Zawadi commented, and as if to prove her point, Azizi chose that moment to launch herself onto Msafiri's tail, tumbling head over paws as she wrapped herself around it and closed her jaws near the dark red tip, small growls rumbling in her chest.

"Yes, we both are," Msafiri said, laughing slightly as he twisted to pull his tail from Azizi's grasp. He then dropped it on the ground inches from her, and flicked its tufted tip until Azizi made another lunge for it. Not looking up from his daughter, Msafiri nevertheless continued, "She seems to be in a very excitable mood today." He glanced back up at them, then, still flicking his tail back and forth as Azizi pounced after it. "And where are you two off to?"

"We're going to find that brother of mine and recruit him so we can help Mikazo train," Zawadi said. "Any idea where he is?"

"He passed by here a bit ago," Msafiri told them with a nod. "Heading to the waterhole for a drink."

Zawadi snorted. "In this weather, he probably didn't need to bother. Just tilt your head back and open your mouth."

"Thanks, Msafiri," Mikazo said. He glanced at Zawadi. "Guess we're going to the waterhole."

"So you'll be training today?" Msafiri asked. "Where will that be, if I may ask?"

"There's a place in the territory that's perfect for training," Mikazo said. "since it's very flat and there aren't many rocks bigger than pebbles. It's just over there." He gestured with his muzzle in the direction of the training field.

"I think I'll take Azizi on a walk," Msafiri, now pinning Azizi with one paw, lightly enough that she was easily able to shove off his hold and start pawing at his leg. "It might burn off some of her energy- and mine as well, so we may stop by to watch the training along the way."

"Sounds like fun!" Azizi exclaimed. She paused momentarily in her attack in order to speak, panting slightly through her words, but there was a grin on her small muzzle and her bright green eyes glittered with the excitement of playing.

"Alright," Mikazo agreed, smiling. He liked watching Msafiri play with Azizi. It reminded him of his own games with his father Hodari, when he was a cub. "See you there, if you do drop by."

Msafiri nodded, and with some quick farewells, Mikazo and Zawadi headed in the direction of the waterhole, where they'd likely find Kimada.

Before they could go far, though, Mikazo heard the sound of small paws rapidly hitting the ground as their owner fast approached. Mikazo looked around at the sound to see Voninahitra appear from the side and spring up in an easy leap to land on Mikazo's shoulder, exclaiming "Wait for me!" as he did.

Mikazo laughed and exchanged a glance with Zawadi, rolling his eyes with a smile. Mikazo was unsurprised by the ring-tailed lemur's sudden appearance- that just seemed to be Voninahitra's way, and Mikazo was glad to see him. "Good morning, Vonny," he greeted. "Welcome aboard."

"Good morning, sir!" Vonny's tone was upbeat.

"Hey, there," Zawadi said with a smile.

"Good morning, miss,' Vonny replied just as cheerfully. Zawadi raised her eyebrows in surprise at the form of address, and catching her expression, Vonny asked, "Would you rather I just called you Zawadi?"

"I would, yeah," Zawadi answered. "Not that I mind miss all that much- it's nice and all, and for some reason flattering- but it's not really... me."

"Alright, Zawadi it is, then." The lemur nodded briskly.

Mikazo shook his head with another roll of the eyes. He couldn't seem to convince Vonny not to call him 'sir', but the little guy would listen to Zawadi without hesitation when she asked him not to call her 'miss'? Mikazo sighed, partly exasperated, but mostly amused.

"So where are we going?" Voninahitra asked after a brief pause.

"Off to get Kimada, and then to the training field," Mikazo replied.

Voninahitra nodded and then settled more comfortably on Mikazo's back by tucking his fore-paws underneath himself and wrapping his tail around his side.

Mikazo, with Zawadi at his side and Vonny on his back, continued toward the waterhole.

The three of them soon passed a herd of Cape buffalo grouped in a field not far from Pride Rock, and Mikazo noticed that the leader of the herd, a massive male with a shaggy gray coat whose horns were chipped from many sparring matches with other buffalo, was talking to Zazu. The hornbill Majordomo of Pride Rock was perched on a low hanging branch, gesturing with a wing as he spoke, and the buffalo gave a grunting snort and nodded his head, responding.

Though Mikazo and his friends were too far away for them to hear what the two were speaking about, Mikazo guessed that Zazu was doing his usual morning rounds, speaking to the animals who lived in the Pride Lands to discover the latest news and gather information for his report. Of course, with Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu currently out of the Pride Lands, at the moment Zazu would be delivering his report to Msafiri.

At the sight of the hornbill, Vonny stood up and took a step forward, balancing on Mikazo's shoulder with ease even as it moved with his stride. "Oh, excuse me, but I wanted to talk with Zazu about something," he said to Mikazo and Zawadi apologetically. "Will you be alright without me?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Mikazo said, slightly perplexed as he wondered what Vonny could have to talk to Zazu about.

"I'll go do that now, then, and catch up with you later." Voninahitra leapt down to the ground.

"Alright, Vonny," Mikazo agreed. "We'll see you, then."

Vonny nodded, both in acknowledgment and as a goodbye, and then quickly trotted in Zazu's direction.

"Tossed over for the bird," Mikazo commented wryly to Zawadi. "I feel so loved."

"Well, I'm sure Kimada at least will be happy to hang out with you, if that's any comfort," Zawadi said, snickering.

"It is, somewhat." Mikazo nodded with mock seriousness.

They continued on their way to the waterhole. Sure enough, when they were about halfway there, Mikazo spotted a familiar bright-furred shape trotting toward them, seemingly headed back to Pride Rock. It was Kimada and when he noticed them, he picked up his pace.

"Hey, you guys!" Kimada called cheerfully as he reached them. Mikazo's eyebrows went up in shock as his friend got closer and came fully within sight. Kimada's fur was plastered to his sides by water so firmly that he seemed to have been drenched entirely, even more so than could likely be accounted for by the rain. His reddish-brown mane hung in long strands, darkened by wetness, with streams of water, visible even among the raindrops, pouring onto the grass below. Kimada kept talking as he stopped alongside them, his voice high and energetic. "You should have seen at the waterhole; these elephants were playing around there, spraying water everywhere! Ha, they got everybody completely soaked..."

"Wouldn't it be tough to tell?" Zawadi wondered, grinning at her brother.

"Well, even more soaked than they were, anyway." Kimada laughed. "One of the elephants sprayed me and I landed right in the waterhole!" He laughed again, as did the other two. "It was awesome."

"Are they still playing?" Zawadi asked, interested. "It does sound like fun."

Mikazo nodded in agreement. He wouldn't mind getting in a water-fight with a few elephants; if nothing else, it sounded like an adventure. But as fun as it sounded, he still wanted to train before he did anything else- wanted to make at least a little progress toward freeing his pride mates from Jinamizi's rule.

"Nah, the game was breaking up by the time I left," Kimada said with a shrug. "So what do you guys want to do?"

"I want to get some training done today," Mikazo said. "So we came looking for you."

"Training? Alright, then," Kimada said, his grin somehow widening even further. He gave his coat a hard shake, and Mikazo skipped backward to avoid the resulting spray. "Let's get going!"

Mikazo grinned in response to his friend's enthusiasm. "Thanks, Kimada! Right, let's go!"

Turning toward the training field, Mikazo set off with Kimada and Zawadi at his side. As they traveled through the Pride Lands, Mikazo saw that most of the animals they passed still seemed to be as thrilled with the rain as they had all been when the dry season, having come so close to being a dangerous drought, had first ended nearly a week before.

Antelope, gazelle, zebra, and the like, traveled from grass patch to grass patch, with almost every member of the various herds walking with their heads and hooves lifted high. The younger members of the herds pranced around their families with great energy, sometimes kicking their hind hooves up into the air with loud brays of excitement. The birds in the sky and trees called out to each other with renewed vigor. Their cries varied from harsh to melodious, but they all shared the same joy over the end of the dry season. A lone cheetah sat alert on a nearby hill, his black tipped ears lifted as he scanned the plains, though Mikazo could tell from the relaxed slope of the cheetah's shoulders that he didn't intend to go hunting and was instead just enjoying the day like everyone else was.

The group of three made quick time on their way to the training field, which was fairly close to the Pride Rock monolith. As they trotted onto the flat plain that made up the training area, Mikazo looked around.

Not much had changed since he'd last been there, of course, aside from the length of the grass; long yellow strands, dried up from lack of water, and shorter, new green grass that had begun to grow since the rainy season started. Not a big difference, and it wouldn't affect the training in any way Mikazo could think of. The rain itself might make a large difference in the training if it got in Mikazo's eyes as he trained, and he knew that wet grass could be slippery. The ground itself hadn't yet been affected by the rain all that much; dried as hard as the ground had been, the water hadn't yet managed to saturate the dirt properly in the few days since the rains started. So the ground was nearly as hard as it had been before the dry season ended. The fact that the ground was still so hard packed that it hadn't yet absorbed much rain meant that there was standing water all over the place.

"Alright," Mikazo said, turning to face the other two. The three of them had stopped a short distance onto the training field. "Are you ready, Kimada?"

"Yep, as always," Kimada said. He shot Mikazo a cocky grin as he trotted into the center of the field. "Bring it on!"

Mikazo was in a much less upbeat mood as he followed his friend, leaving Zawadi near the edge of the field, where she sat down to watch the first match. After what he'd seen at his pride, he felt a frantic need, stronger than ever, to stop Jinamizi, to save his pride mates as quickly as he possibly could. Mikazo was going to put everything he had into this training session.

Once they were in the middle of the field, Mikazo quickly dropped into a crouch, circling around toward Kimada, while his friend copied his movements. Mikazo made the first strike, bounding at Kimada and slashing a paw- claws retracted as always when they trained- at his head. Kimada leapt forward, dodging, and slid alongside Mikazo, then lunged shoulder-first into Mikazo's side, knocking him over.

As Kimada tried to drop on top of him in a pin, Mikazo rolled to the side, out of the way. Feeling that desperate need to help his pride mates _now_, to get his training done so he could help them, as Mikazo rolled back to his paws he didn't take any time to plan his next attack. Instead, he just leapt at Kimada without a thought to strategy as soon as he was standing. He over-balanced as he leapt, having given himself no time to regain his equilibrium after he'd rolled to his paws, and Kimada easily dodged the lunge. Mikazo landed heavily and stumbled forward a step.

Instantly Kimada threw himself again into Mikazo's side, knocking him over once more, and this time, Mikazo didn't have any chance to roll away before Kimada had him pinned to the ground, fore-paws placed firmly on his side and shoulder.

Mikazo tried to push himself to his paws, but Kimada's hold was strong, and unable to free himself, Mikazo went limp, giving up the match.

Kimada stepped back, releasing him. Mikazo stood, eyes narrowed, feeling frustrated and a little embarrassed at the speed of his loss.

"That went well," Mikazo muttered, mostly to himself, and shook his head.

"Focus, buddy, you need to focus," Kimada encouraged.

"Right," Mikazo agreed, nodding and dropping back into a crouch. "Alright, let's try that again."

This time, Mikazo didn't bother with circling before attacking. The irritation from his quick loss was still prickling at his spine, and the desperation to get strong enough to save his pride mates was as strong as ever, and so Mikazo sprang at Kimada as soon as he'd crouched as well- an impulsive move that was usually not Mikazo's style. He plowed into his friend, and the two of them fell to the ground, rolling across the grass. Kimada had managed to pull his hind legs in close as they'd fallen, and now he shoved them against Mikazo's stomach, launching Mikazo off of him and away.

Mikazo let out a grunt as he slammed into the ground a few feet from Kimada, and he automatically rolled to absorb some of the impact. As Mikazo stood dizzily, Kimada leapt for him and swatted with both fore-paws, one, then the other. Mikazo jumped backward, successfully dodging one of the strikes but not the second, which hit his shoulder and sent him sideways, nearly tripping over his own paws.

As Kimada crouched to spring, Mikazo leapt again, tackling him head-on, and the two of them fell into another tussling roll. Mikazo thrashed his hind paws, but only managed to scrabble them against Kimada's sides, too close to Kimada to get in a good blow. His fore-paws were pressed against his friend's shoulders as he fought to avoid being pinned again.

It was a futile attempt; Mikazo felt his fore-legs give way as Kimada flipped him to the side, sending Mikazo tumbling onto his stomach. Mikazo was flattened to the ground as Kimada lunged on top of him, his fore-paws landing on the backs of his shoulders, and Mikazo was once again pinned.

Kimada stood over him for a second and then backed off. With a growl of self-directed anger, Mikazo pulled himself to his paws, breathing roughly.

"That's two out of two... Why am I having so much trouble?" Mikazo wondered, his tail whipping through the air with irritation and frustration.

Kimada shook his head, his expression confused. "I wanna say it's just because I'm a superior fighter so _of course _you're losing," he said. "But that wouldn't be really helpful. The truth is, something's changed with your fighting, but I can't put my paw on what."

"Changed?" Mikazo repeated, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

Kimada shrugged. "I don't know, but you usually fight... differently than you are today." He shook his head. "I don't know how, so I can't put it better than that."

Zawadi walked over from her place on the edge of the field. "I can't really help with that, since I've never seen you fight before," she interjected. "But I do have to say I didn't think you'd be doing as badly as you are with it."

Mikazo frowned, unsure how to take that. "Uh... thanks?"

Zawadi grinned a bit sheepishly. "That came out a little wrong..."

Mikazo nodded, and then glanced between the two of them. "So, if I'm fighting differently than usual- and doing worse because I am- what do I do to fix it?"

"Er..." Kimada hesitated. "No idea. I guess we can just try another match and maybe it'll work itself out."

"I guess," Mikazo said uncertainly. The way his training matches were going, how was he going to became good enough at fighting to stop Jinamizi? He needed to save his pride mates, and Mikazo wasn't willing to let that take any longer than it absolutely had to.

The three of them turned with a start as another voice spoke; "Perhaps I can help."

"Msafiri!" Mikazo exclaimed. "Azizi!"

The father and daughter duo were not far away, close enough that they had probably overheard most of their conversation. Msafiri was walking toward them, with Azizi trotting at a quicker pace at his side. A moment later, Msafiri and Azizi had reached the other three, and the five of them exchanged greetings. Then Mikazo asked, "You think you can help out with my fighting problem?"

"Maybe." Msafiri nodded. "Like Zawadi, of course, I haven't seen you fight before, but I have seen a lot of different battle styles in my life. If I watch you fight, I might be able to help you figure out what's wrong."

"Alright, it's worth a shot," Mikazo agreed. "Thanks, Msafiri."

Msafiri nodded. "I was planning on watching a training session in the first place, so it's no trouble."

"Sounds like a good plan, so let's get going with it," Kimada said. "Come on, Mikazo."

"Alright."

Mikazo and Kimada walked a short distance away from Msafiri, Azizi, and Zawadi, and both got into their fighting positions.

Aware that Msafiri was watching, Mikazo felt an even stronger urge to do well with this match- to impress the older lion by doing well. That desire was added to the need to help his pride mates as quickly as possible. The combination of the two put Mikazo even more on edge than he had been in the last two matches.

As Kimada drew himself forward in a stalk- with his shoulders hunched, his belly brushing the ground, and his tail flicking behind him- Mikazo mimicked him, though he was moving forward a little more quickly than the pace Kimada had chosen. Once Mikazo was close enough, he launched himself into a pounce. Kimada dodged to the side, spinning to face him, and Mikazo landed next to him. Mikazo absorbed the landing and then instantly turned to swipe at Kimada with a fore-paw. The strike caught Kimada in the muzzle and knocked him sideways; and as he stumbled, Mikazo took the opportunity to tackle him.

Kimada rolled with Mikazo on top of him, flipping so that all four of his paws were pressed against Mikazo's chest and stomach. Then with one quick shove, he turned Mikazo's own momentum against him, sending him flying before he could fully get a grip on his friend. Mikazo managed to land on his paws, though he skidded a fair distance along the ground, his claws tearing through the dirt as he tried to get purchase. As soon as he managed to steady himself, Mikazo again threw himself at Kimada, who had just regained his own paws.

As they went down in yet another tumble, with both of them scrabbling for a pinning grip on the other, Mikazo heard Msafiri call out, "Just a moment, you two! Stop the battle, if you would."

Mikazo and Kimada broke apart and got to their paws. Both of them were panting, but not very much; they hadn't been fighting very long before Msafiri called a halt. Mikazo turned to look at Msafiri, who was walking toward them.

"What is it, Msafiri?" Mikazo asked hopefully. "Did you figure out what's wrong with my fighting?"

"I think I have. I've noticed that your attacks were rash, and as far as I could tell, poorly planned," Msafiri responded. "Somehow, I don't think that's how you usually fight, is it?"

"Well, no, not really," Mikazo said, noticing Kimada and Zawadi sit down and watch Msafiri with interest. "But it's not like I plan out every move in a battle anyway. There's no real time to do that."

"That's true, but I don't think it's only that you weren't planning your attacks," Msafiri said. "To be frank, they seemed a little clumsy, but I think it's more than just that. What were you thinking about as you fought?"

Mikazo sighed, feeling somewhat uncomfortable and not at all sure how this could help solve his fighting problem. "Helping my pride mates. I was thinking about getting strong enough to defeat Jinamizi, so I could get them out from under his control."

Msafiri nodded. "I thought that was probably it," he said. "I think what's happening here is that you want so much to help them now, that you're so impatient- understandably so- to help them, that you're not taking the time to actually let yourself became stronger so you can."

Mikazo blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you can't expect to grow strong enough to defeat Jinamizi right now, today, but you're so frantic to get ready that you're not... letting time let it happen." Msafiri shook his head as though frustrated with his own explanation. "I'm not sure how to explain what I mean clearly. But I do believe that you just need to calm down, to put Jinamizi out of your mind, and just train. In other words, I think that you are fighting with your anger and desperation, not with your skill, and that is why your fighting ability is less than usual."

"But how can I put what's going on with my pride mates out of my mind?" Mikazo demanded. He felt strangely indignant. "It's not something I can just forget about." He frowned, confused. "And aren't emotions supposed to help you fight? I mean, if you're fighting for something you care about, shouldn't that make you _better, _not worse?"

"I know you can't put it entirely out of your mind," Msafiri said. "And believe me, I don't expect you to. But it might help if you tried; if you fought without your worry constantly being in your thoughts. And yes, emotions can make you a better fighter, but not if you let them overwhelm you. Emotions are only useful in battle if they sharpen your mind and skills, not fog them."

Mikazo nodded, accepting that. "Well, I guess I can try to just train without thinking about it, if you think it'll help. It's just so much harder today, after finding out about Tumaini..."

"I know, Mikazo," Msafiri said with a sigh. "I'd be surprised if you weren't having some kind of trouble after that particular... _revelation_." The last word was thick with distaste, and Msafiri quickly moved on. "So are you willing to have another match, keeping what I've said in mind?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll give it a try," Mikazo said.

"And I'm ready when you are," Kimada broke in. He and Zawadi had stayed quiet throughout Mikazo's conversation with Msafiri. They both clearly had decided to give Msafiri a chance to help Mikazo with his problem without interrupting. Azizi lay on her stomach next to her father- her gaze, bright with curiosity, had been flicking between all of them as they talked.

"Thanks, Kimada," Mikazo said. "And thank you, Msafiri." Msafiri nodded in response, and then Mikazo turned and padded to another part of the field, muttering to himself, "I really hope this'll work." Kimada followed in his wake.

"Alright, Kimada, let's try this again," Mikazo said to his friend, once more dropping into a crouch as he spoke.

This time, Mikazo tried, as Msafiri had advised him, to push the issue with Jinamizi to a corner in the back of his mind, out of the way. He took a deep breath, calming his still prickling impatience as much as he could. He wasn't completely successful, but he managed to rein it in enough to attempt to plan his first strike, and he prowled toward Kimada in a stalk.

Even when he was within striking range, Mikazo held himself still, forcing himself to let Kimada make the first attack while he kept careful watch. As his friend darted forward, swatting with a paw at Mikazo's head, he spun to the side and dodged. Then he launched his own attack, striking with both fore-paws into Kimada's nearest shoulder.

Mikazo, his body tight with barely checked anxiety, nearly threw himself into yet another reckless tackle, and only just stopped himself from doing so. Instead of leaping at Kimada, he swiped his paw underneath Kimada while the other lion was still off balance from his first attack, knocking a fore-leg out from under him. Kimada fell to the ground and landed roughly, letting out a huff of air as his chest struck the ground; but he still managed to roll out of the way as Mikazo lunged at him.

Mikazo's pounce just missed, his fore-paws landing where Kimada had been a moment before. Kimada pushed himself up and slashed a paw at Mikazo, who reared to try to avoid it. He was just a second too slow and Kimada's paw caught him in the side of the head in a powerful blow. Mikazo fell to the side, dazed. His head was spinning, but as he fell he pulled himself instinctively into a tumble so that instead of landing on top of him, Kimada's next leap caused him to slam into Mikazo's side.

The momentum launched them both sideways, and the two lions bundled across the grass, exchanging blows from both fore-paws and hind. Pummeling Kimada's chest and shoulders, Mikazo snagged Kimada's mane in his teeth. Using his bite as a source of leverage, Mikazo jerked his head and body to the side, wrenching Kimada to the side and heaving him off of him.

Kimada easily rolled to his paws, and as Mikazo stood, Kimada jumped at him in a pounce that hit him head on and sent Mikazo into a backward tumble. The world became a blur for a moment as Mikazo rolled backward and his head struck the ground; and when his vision cleared, Mikazo found himself laying on his back.

Kimada stood over him with his sides heaving with his breath and his paws holding Mikazo down. Mikazo tried to roll to break the pin, but Kimada quickly moved one of his fore-paws onto Mikazo's neck. Were it a real battle, the position of his paw would allow him to easily make a lethal strike, and would have certainly earned him the win. Mikazo dropped flat to the ground in defeat and let out his breath in a sigh.

With a triumphant grin, Kimada moved backward, letting Mikazo stand. Slightly dizzy from his head thumping against the ground, but recovering from it quickly, Mikazo pushed himself up.

"Well, you almost got me that time," Kimada said as he sat down to rest. He was still panting a little. "You seemed to be focusing better, I think."

"Yeah, I guess I was," Mikazo agreed, then shook his head. "Still lost, though."

"Yeah, but you were facing a superior opponent, after all." Kimada grinned happily, earning himself a playful cuff against the jaw. He laughed. "Ya did much better that time, though, and it was a lot more like how you usually fight, I think. Don't worry, it'll come back to you."

Msafiri padded over with Azizi at his side and Zawadi following just behind. "Kimada is right," Msafiri said. "I saw quite an improvement between your last battle and this one. While some of your moves were still rather rash, you did quite well, Mikazo."

"Thanks, Msafiri," Mikazo said. He felt a smile form on his muzzle, inordinately pleased with Msafiri's praise. "Do you want to join in on the training?" he asked. He wouldn't mind having a match against Msafiri- after he'd rested for a few moments from his last few matches with Kimada, of course.

Msafiri gave his head a small shake. "Maybe another time," he said. "Azizi and I should probably be getting back to our walk now."

"Oh, but I want to keep watching, Dad," Azizi piped up as her ears drooped in disappointment. "It's fun! Can't we stay? Please?"

Msafiri looked down at his daughter, who looked back up at him with bright, hopeful eyes. "Alright, Azizi," he agreed with a fond smile. "We'll stay for a bit longer, then. Our walk can wait." Azizi let out a happy noise somewhere between a cheer and a purr, and Msafiri looked at Mikazo. "And since we're staying, I'd certainly be willing to join in for a match or two."

"Great!" Mikazo exclaimed.

"The more the merrier!" Kimada said cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Zawadi said, and then added in a matter-of-fact tone, "Oh, and don't forgot, you won't just be battling Msafiri, Mikazo. I'm planning to completely flatten you." She gave Kimada a sideways glance, grinning. "And you, too, Kimada. I wouldn't want you to feel left out."

Kimada snorted and cockily returned her grin. "You can try all you want, sis, but _I'm_ gonna win."

Mikazo looked around at them all with his own grin firmly in place. He had a feeling that the rest of the day's training was not only going to be useful in his quest to became strong enough to beat Jinamizi- it was also bound to be quite a bit of fun.


	23. To Be a King

**Hi there! I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Mikazo continued training with Kimada, Zawadi, and Msafiri until the sun had risen high in the sky. Azizi watched from the sidelines, clearly enjoying the battles. By the time they decided to stop for the day, they were all hungry. They agreed on a plan to check back in at Pride Rock to see what they hunters may have brought in.

Having spent all day in the rain, they were all thoroughly soaked and liberally streaked with mud and bits of grass. Mikazo figured, though, that as long as they were no longer rolling around on the ground, it wouldn't be long before the rain washed the mud and dirt off of them all. They'd be cleaner, but it was unlikely they'd be dry again any time soon.

Though Mikazo felt that his fighting ability still wasn't up to par, he wasn't feeling as disappointed and frustrated as he had been. Msafiri's advice on clearing his mind of worry for his pride so he could focus on his training had helped immensely. He was now acting and reacting in battle more like his usual self, and even learning to become better. He and his friends had been training together all morning and were now returning to Pride Rock from the training field. Mikazo looked up to the sky and noticed that it was almost mid-day. He was a bit surprised by how quickly time had passed, since he, Kimada and Zawadi had first arrived at the training field not all that long after dawn. That had been a long training session. It was no wonder they were all starving now.

Despite being hungry, muddy, and sore from all the mock battles, Mikazo was in a pretty good mood, all things considered. But now that the day's training was over, his mind returned fully to the troubling problems Tumaini and the rest of his pride mates were having. Tumaini was pregnant. It was hard to take in. That lion had forced his way on her and now she was having his cubs. That knowledge still weighed on him heavily, but he had to admit, training with his friends had helped. Even if the training hadn't gone quite as well as he would have hoped, it still felt like he'd been doing something productive, something that would enable him to someday save his pride mates. And though he knew it would still be a while before he could challenge Jinamizi for his kingdom and pride, at least that was a start.

Though Azizi had, of course, stayed out of the fighting, being far too young and small to join in with the older lions, Mikazo had fought a few matches with each of the other three. Msafiri had out-matched him almost completely; he was much larger and stronger than Mikazo was, and he knew quite a few good battle moves. All the same, even though he hadn't won any of the battles he'd had with Msafiri, he had a least held his own in most of them, and Mikazo had really enjoyed training with him.

He'd had been much more evenly matched when he'd trained with Zawadi, and had both won and lost in the battles they'd had- and of course, the same held true for his battles with Kimada, after his initial frustrating losses. They had all had a good time, talking and bantering between battles that had tested and, Mikazo hoped, improved his skills. It was hard to stay in a bad mood when he was spending time with Kimada, Zawadi, Msafiri, and little Azizi.

As Mikazo and the others, with rumbling stomachs and sore muscles, came within sight of Pride Rock, Mikazo saw that the hunters had indeed caught something and brought it back for the pride's meal- a couple of somethings, in fact. All of the lionesses of the pride, as well as Msafiri's pride mates Vema and Suluhu, were gathered around two fallen zebra that the hunters had laid at the base of Pride Rock's slope. Their awareness of their hunger sharpening at the sight and smell of food, Mikazo and his friends hurriedly picked up their pace to join the others around their prey.

"Hey there, guys," Zawadi greeted Vema and Suluhu as their group trotted up alongside the two lionesses, crowding in next to them around the nearest zebra, around which were also gathered quite a few others.

"Hey, everyone," Vema said with a smile as she and Suluhu scooted to one side to make room.

"We were wondering where you all went," Suluhu put in, nodding toward Vema to include her in her statement before returning her gaze to the five of them as they all sat down next to the two lionesses, fitting themselves with some effort among all of the lionesses around the prey. "You might have missed the meal if you'd shown up much later."

Zawadi grinned. "Good thing we got here now, then. I'm not sure Kimada would have survived the disappointment."

Kimada shot a wounded look at his sister, though it was so exaggerated that it was impossible to take it seriously. "Aw, come on, 'Wadi," he said. "You gotta have more faith in me than that! I would have done way more than just _survive_ missing a meal; I would have managed, somehow, to keep the broken sobbing to an absolute minimum. So there!"

Mikazo burst out laughing along with the others.

He and his friends ate their meal quickly, filling their empty stomachs. Once he was done, Mikazo stepped back from what was left of the fallen zebra, swiping his tongue around his muzzle to wash it clean. Most of the Pride Landers, as well as Vema and Suluhu, had finished their food sooner than Mikazo, Kimada and the rest, having started their meal so much sooner then they had. Most of them had by then gone up to rest on Pride Rock's promontory or in its cave, leaving Mikazo and the others to follow in their own time.

Ready for some rest themselves, tired as they all were from the long training session, Mikazo, Kimada, Zawadi, and Msafiri, along with young Azizi, started up Pride Rock's slope as well. But before they could get far, Mikazo heard Voninahitra's voice calling out, "Mikazo, sir, hold on just a moment, please!"

Mikazo turned with the others to see the ring-tailed lemur hurrying up to their group from the Savannah, his fur as soaked from the rain that still pelted down as everyone elses' coats were. "Sure, Vonny," Mikazo said, walking a few steps back down the slope. "What's up?"

"I'd just like to talk with you about something, if it's not an inconvenience," Voninahitra told him as he came to a halt at his side.

Mikazo nodded, confused and somewhat concerned, though Voninahitra's expression didn't look worried so much as determined. "Alright, no problem." He glanced at the others. "You guys go on, I'll catch up."

Kimada shrugged. "Okay. See you later, then," he said, and then padded up to Pride Rock's promontory with the other three. Mikazo sat down and turned his attention to Vonny.

"So what's up?" he asked again. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes, nothing is wrong," Voninahitra assured him. "But I would like to ask you something. Do you remember, earlier today, I went to speak with Zazu?"

"Yeah, you wanted to talk with him about something, right? I wondered what that was about," Mikazo answered.

"I wanted to ask him about his job, being a Majordomo." Vonny shifted in place and flicked his tail before continuing. Mikazo thought that his little friend seemed a little nervous, or perhaps simply unsure how to approach the subject he was bringing up. "I wanted to learn exactly what being a king's Majordomo involves, because I've seen how Zazu helps King Simba with his kingdom, bringing him reports and giving him messages and so on, and thought there might be more duties I hadn't yet noticed. It seems as though Zazu is very helpful to his king, in quite a few areas, and that's just as I intend to help you.

"And that's what I wanted to talk with you about. Would you consider taking me on as your Majordomo?"

Mikazo hadn't seen this coming. "You want to be my Majordomo?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, I do," Voninahitra said, nodding seriously.

"I never even thought about having a Majordomo," Mikazo said, mainly to himself, then raised his voice back to its usual level to explain, "My parents didn't have one, at least not officially. They knew a few animals who got around the territory a lot, so they just talked to them every morning to hear the news. Other than that, they just did things a Majordomo sometimes does, like scouting, themselves." Mikazo tilted his head, blinking at Vonny in surprise. "When did you start thinking about this?" he asked.

"Since soon after I heard what Zazu's job was in the first place," Vonny answered. "A day or two after I met you. As I am in debt to you and it is my duty to serve you in any way I can, I truly wanted to find a way to do that well."

Mikazo frowned briefly, though he had, by this point, given up protesting against Voninahitra's belief that the lemur owed him a life debt. If the Lemur Code was as sacred to the ring-tailed lemur species as Voninahitra said it was, then it would be wrong of Mikazo to continue to try to change his mind or his beliefs on the subject. He still didn't like it, however, and he intended to never do anything that would be taking advantage of the debt Vonny held himself to.

As long as Vonny wanted to stick around, Mikazo was glad. He liked the lemur, who seemed quite intelligent and had a deep sense of honor and loyalty, all of which were characteristics Mikazo admired. He also thought that having a Majordomo would be nice, and even better if it was a friend of his that he would be working alongside.

"I hadn't been able to think of a way I might be useful to you until I had met Zazu and learned about the position 'Majordomo'," Vonny continued. "Once I learned of it, I knew that it was what I wanted to do."

Mikazo nodded slowly. It really did seem as though Vonny was serious about his desire to work as Mikazo's Majordomo, and he was finding more and more that he liked the idea himself. "Thank you," he said, dipping his head slightly. "I'd be honored to have you as my Majordomo, Voninahitra." He surprised himself slightly by using the lemur's full name, but felt that a shortened name, a nickname, wouldn't be as appropriate in that moment.

"Thank you, sir!" Vonny exclaimed as his eyes lit up. "I promise I will not let you down!"

Mikazo smiled. "Never dreamed you would." He paused, realizing something. "Of course, you can't really start right away. I'm not the king of my pride right now, so there isn't exactly all that much Majordomo stuff you can do right now." He shrugged, his mood dropping somewhat as he wondered again how long it would be until he was the king of his pride; until Jinamizi was no longer an issue. "But you can bet the position will be yours as soon as I get my kingdom back from Jinamizi."

Voninahitra nodded in response. "I realized that as well. I appreciate you holding the job open for me."

Mikazo shrugged again, smiling. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He had no one else he would have asked to be his Majordomo aside from Vonny, especially since he hadn't even thought about having a Majordomo himself until a few minutes ago.

Vonny hesitated for a moment, then said, "Also, I do actually believe there might be something I can do to be of service right now." Mikazo pricked his ears as Vonny explained, "When I went with you yesterday, when you traveled to your lands to check on your pride mates, and I saw what it would involve, like spying and staying out of sight, I thought that perhaps I could do that myself, rather than you having to do it."

"What do you mean?"

"I could travel in your place and report back to you on the state of your lands and pride, so that you would have more time to train, but would still know the happenings in your lands. And because that lion, Jinamizi, does not know me and would not see me as a possible threat, there shouldn't be any danger in that regard, and there would be no risk of him finding and attacking you if you were not there. I would be doing what I could to help your cause. And I truly want your pride mates to be freed from Jinamizi's reign as soon as possible. One day, they will be my people as well, and the way he treats them is unequivocally wrong."

Mikazo was not at all sure he liked this idea, for quite a few reasons. "I don't think that'll work, Vonny," he protested. "I mean, I can't ask you to do that. For one thing, the biggest thing, Jinamizi might not see you as a threat, but he could easily see you as a meal." Mikazo frowned. "And I hate to say this, but if my pride mates don't know you, then they might try and hunt you, too."

"I would be in no more danger of that than any other prey animal living in your territory, sir, and I'd say the chances of any of your pride or the rogue choosing to hunt me out of all of them is unlikely. Especially since I'm much smaller than anything that could be considered a... full meal for your species." The lemur gave a slight shudder, obviously not unaffected by the thought of becoming a lion's lunch.

Mikazo sighed and shook his head. "Maybe, but Vonny, I can't ask you to do this, taking over the trips like that. It's my duty to watch after my pride mates, not yours. It would be wrong..."

"But don't you see?" Vonny asked. "You wouldn't be neglecting your duty, because, while I am investigating the events at your pride, you would have more time to put into training, into becoming powerful enough to battle Jinamizi. It would be working toward saving your pride, and I would be reporting to you on everything that I see, so you would not be unaware of your pride mates' circumstances."

Mikazo could see Voninahitra's point. He even agreed with it, but he still didn't like it. Along with all the rest of his reasons for disliking the idea, it felt as though sending Vonny in his place, on the potentially dangerous mission of spying on Jinamizi, would be cowardice. There was no hope that the little lemur would be able to defend himself should Jinamizi attack him, either because he found out that Vonny was spying on him for Mikazo or simply because he was hungry and Vonny was prey.

But he was right that his suggestion would give Mikazo more time to train, and that would surely make the time when he would be able to fight Jinamizi and rescue his pride mates come more quickly than it would if he took a day off every few days to make the long trip to his pride and back. And more than anything else, Mikazo knew that his pride mates needed help as soon as possible. They weren't allowed to eat as much food as they needed unless Jinamizi thought they had hunted something worthy of him. Uzuri had lost her son Jamili, and Tumaini had now been forced to carry the rogue's cub. Those were events that would haunt both lionesses for life, and while nothing quite so bad as any of that had yet happened to either Nuru or Cheneta, there was no guarantee that they would be relatively safe forever, not with a lion like Jinamizi in charge of their lives.

Mikazo needed to help them before any of their situations worsened. He needed to save them from the horrid circumstances they were already in. If going with Voninahitra's suggestion and allowing the lemur to make the trip for him so he would have more time to train would allow Mikazo to help his pride mates more quickly, if Vonny was willing to do that and if it would truly help in the long run, than how could he really say no to the plan?

"Alright, Vonny," he said, defeated and worried, but grateful to the lemur for what he was offering- insisting, more like- to do for him and his pride. "It's a good plan, and you're right, if I get more training time in, maybe I can help my pride mates sooner." He gave Voninahitra a smile. "Thank you."

Vonny nodded, returning his smile. He looked pleased. "I am glad to be doing what I can to help. And I assure you, you don't need to worry about me. I do not particularly intend to get eaten by anyone, so I can promise I will be doing my best to avoid that. They won't find me, and I'll report back to you with whatever I can learn while there."

"Thank you, really," Mikazo said again. He cocked his head to the side, his smile widening. "You know, I'm pretty sure I just lucked into a great Majordomo here."

Vonny chuckled, and said lightly, "In my modest opinion, I'd have to say that's quite true. Yes, you did." Mikazo laughed, and Vonny joined in. Then the lemur asked, "When would you like me to make the first trip to your pride?"

"Um..." Mikazo hesitated. "Well, we were just there yesterday, so I guess not much has probably changed there." He frowned. He didn't want to send Vonny off right away, especially when he knew that the lemur would be taking a risk, and knew that this soon after the last trip, his pride was almost certainly just the same as the last time he had seen it. Still, he was worried enough about his pride mates that he had to ask, "Would tomorrow be too soon?" He reconsidered for a split second, then said, "Or, no, how about the day after tomorrow, instead?"

He knew that the day after tomorrow was hardly better than just tomorrow, considering how recently he had seen his pride mates, but he couldn't easily stand the thought of waiting longer than that to hear news of them, especially after he'd just learned of Tumaini's pregnancy. He had to know how she was dealing with that, not that there was any chance that she was just fine with it. It was already clear beyond any doubt how upset she was by it. He just needed to know that she was dealing with it at all, that it wasn't going to destroy her. He knew how strong she was, but he also knew that there was a limit to how much anyone could take before they broke, and feared how close she might be to that point.

"The day after tomorrow, alright then," Vonny said briskly, nodding. "I'll leave on the morning of that day and be back with my report as soon as possible."

Mikazo thanked him again, and Vonny added, "I think that tomorrow I'll ask Zazu if he could teach me all that a Majordomo needs to do, as an apprenticeship, of sorts. I'd assume that someone must have taught him how to be a Majordomo, after all."

"Yeah, Kimada told me that Zazu's mother Zuzu was the Majordomo before him, working for Simba's grandfather. She must have told him all about how to do the job," Mikazo confirmed. He didn't know Zazu all that well, but he could guess from what he knew of the hornbill that he would be pleased and flattered that Vonny wanted to train as his apprentice.

With all of that decided, and with his new Majordomo leaping up to hitch a ride on his back, Mikazo headed up the rocky slope to Pride Rock's promontory. His friends were probably all resting in the cave by now, and he planned to join them.

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Over the next three days, Mikazo spent much of his time training with Kimada, Zawadi, and often, when he had time apart from his temporary job of watching over the Pride Lands while the Royal Family was away, Msafiri. Mikazo still had some trouble with his fighting, as his mind kept straying back to Tumaini and the rest of his pride mates, and he still, at times, focused too much on his desperation to help them instead of simply on his training. When that happened, it usually cost him the match.

But he was getting steadily better, both thanks to his friends' encouragement and to Msafiri's coaching, and by halfway through the second day of training, Mikazo's fighting was back to its usual level. He was still learning how to perfect some of the fighting skills Simba and the others had taught him, and found that Msafiri also knew a few fighting techniques that that he'd never seen before that Msafiri was willing to teach him.

All and all, it was a busy few days, and Mikazo hoped that all of the training he and his friends had packed into that time was helping him become stronger. Surely it was, though he was still unable to defeat Msafiri in any of the matches he'd had with the adult lion. At least he was holding out longer against Msafiri, and was proud of that.

While Mikazo was busy battle training, Voninahitra was undergoing some training of his own with Zazu. The little lemur was clearly putting in a lot of effort into learning how to do the job of a Majordomo, and, just like Mikazo had suspected he would be, Zazu was clearly preening with pride over Vonny's request to apprentice him.

On the second day after his request to become Mikazo's Majordomo, Vonny traveled to Mikazo's pride to check on his pride mates for him, just as promised. Mikazo had spent the day caught between his training and the urge to pace out his worry and nervousness, both for what might be happening to Voninahitra and for what the lemur would report on when he returned. Meanwhile, though, Mikazo had trained some more with his friends. It had taken a few times of Kimada reminding him that the whole point of Vonny going instead of him was so that he could focus on his training more before Mikazo was able to get his mind mostly back on the mock-battles. Once he was able to refocus, he spent a majority of the day working hard at becoming stronger.

Then he and his friends rested at Pride Rock, worn out from the training session but in a rather satisfied way, as they'd all not only gotten in some good training, but had enjoyed themselves too. Still, Mikazo was wondering how things were going for Vonny, what was going on back in his pride lands.

He found out that evening, when Vonny had finally gotten back from his half a day long trip. Mikazo hadn't been able to resist immediately bounding down Pride Rock's slope to meet Vonny at the bottom as soon as he'd realized the lemur was back, and to his relief, Vonny had reported that the trip had gone off without a hitch. No one, lion or otherwise, had spotted Voninahitra, small and quick as he was, and he had managed to spy on Jinamizi's activities for a good amount of time. Nothing seemed to have changed since the last visit to Mikazo's pride, though, things still seemed to be the same for Tumaini, Uzuri, Nuru, and Cheneta.

The four lionesses, Vonny told him, were doing alright as far as he could tell. They had all been at the waterhole when he'd first arrived there, and it had seemed that their spirits, like everyone else's in this area of Africa, had been lifted at the sight of the newly replenished water source. They must have, of course, been to the waterhole before then in the days since the rainy season had started, but as more time passed, the near constant rain was refilling the rivers and lakes more and more. It was still a relieving sight to many of the creatures throughout the land, since the long dry season had come so close to causing a drought. Though Tumaini and the others were certainly not having the best of times lately, they were also clearly glad to see the waterhole full again.

After they had drank their fill, the four lionesses who made up Mikazo's pride had all gone on a fairly short hunt. They'd brought down both a smallish impala to share among themselves without Jinamizi knowing, and, impressively, a larger buffalo for the rogue, one that had been of an imposing size even among the other buffalo in its herd. Jinamizi had seemed, for once, fairly satisfied with the massive catch. Though he had certainly not praised the lionesses for their hunt, something Mikazo could never imagine the rogue actually doing, he had at least allowed the lionesses a part of the prey after he had fed. It had been getting late by that time, so Vonny said he had left for the Pride Lands soon after that.

Mikazo was glad that nothing had happened to worsen things for his pride mates, and had thanked Vonny for his help. Voninahitra had cheerfully responded that he had been glad to help, and that he would be ready to travel again to Mikazo's pride whenever he thought it was time for another trip. Still feeling somewhat guilty to be asking this of his newest friend, Mikazo had suggested that perhaps Vonny could remake the journey in three or four days time, which was longer than the last gap, but about as far as Mikazo's nerves would allow him to stretch it.

Vonny had been quite tired from his long trip, and he'd decided to go to sleep as soon as they had all eaten. Mikazo and Kimada stayed awake a while later than most of the others at Pride Rock, enjoying the evening and the company of their closest friend. Thanks to Vonny's report that things seemed the same back in his lands, rather than having worsened even more, Mikazo's worry for the immediate health of his pride mates, while not by any means gone, was at least for the moment alleviated.

As night fell completely over the Pride Lands and a cool breeze blew, carrying the scent of rain soon to fall, Mikazo went into the cave for some much needed sleep.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Simba sighed in relief as Pride Rock came into view, glad to see his home again and to soon have a chance to give his paws a good rest. Nala padded alongside him, her own pace having become a weary plod in the last few hours of their travels. Like Simba, though, she'd perked up considerably when they crossed the border into the Pride Lands. Kovu and Kiara were just a step behind them, with Daka hanging by his scruff from his father's jaws. Of the four adults, Kiara had the most remaining energy, to no one's surprise, but even her trot had slowed to a walk by this point.

It had been a full six days since Simba and his family had set out to travel to the lands occupied by the lion prides that surrounded their own. They'd gone intending to diffuse the inaccurate but potentially disastrous rumors that Simba was building an army to conquer nearby lands, and they'd been hoping to reach them all before the other prides decided to attack the Pride Lands in an effort to defend themselves.

Thankfully, the trip had gone well and they'd managed to achieve their goal. They had met with all of the kings and queens of the nearby prides and explained to them the reason for Mikazo's training, that it was so the young lion might be able to reclaim his own pride from the tyrant who had taken it from him and who now ruled it cruelly, not that Simba was training soldiers to extend his lands.

Some of the kings and queens they had spoken with had taken some time before they came to believe the Pride Landers' claims, but most of them had accepted them quickly enough. Many of them had thought it strange in the first place that Simba would do such a thing. Few of the other prides could even imagine that he, or Nala for that matter, would plot to take over lands that already belonged to other lions. That general belief in the good character of the Pride Lands' rulers had helped their case, and everything had been cleared up eventually. Now with that settled, there was no longer a chance that any of those prides might attack the Pride Lands for this, a danger Simba and his family had been happy to avoid.

Though it had been successful, the trip had also been a long and tiring one, since the four adult lions and the cub had covered many miles of ground per day. They'd visited a total of eight different prides in the six days they had traveled, making it to all the prides in the lands adjacent to the Pride Lands. Even Daka's nearly bottomless supply of energy had been worn down by the trek. Despite the long distance, Simba's young grandson had insisted on walking on his own the first few days, with the usual stubborn pride of a cub who didn't want to seem helpless when compared to the adults. But the trip had proven to be too much for the little guy, and his parents ended up carrying him more than he'd walked by the end.

And now the journey was coming to an end and the family of five was reaching the bottom of Pride Rock, where they were greeted by the pride mates who had been lounging there already, and by those who had come down from the promontory when their return was announced by Zazu. Simba and his family were not thirsty, having stopped by the Pride Land's waterhole on their way home, and they had hunted recently enough that none of them were hungry, so they all settled back in without bothering to go on a hunt.

Shortly after their return, Simba spoke with Msafiri to hear how things had gone. He was told of the events that had happened in the Pride Lands while he, Nala, Kiara, Kovu, and Daka were away – including the trip that Mikazo had taken to his lands with Kimada, the lemur Vonny, and Timon and Pumbaa. Simba was glad to hear that his two insectivore friends had accompanied them on the trip. The meerkat and warthog duo were not always seen as the most competent pair, but Simba knew just how helpful they could be in a tough situation.

Msafiri had seemed reluctant to share what Mikazo and his friends had learned while at Mikazo's pride, and Simba could tell that something bad had happened from the way Msafiri spoke. Simba was as horrified as Msafiri to learn that Tumaini, the young lioness that Simba had seen himself when he'd gone with Mikazo on a trip to his pride, was now pregnant to Jinamizi, but he couldn't see what they could do to help her. The deed was done, and the best Simba could think of to help the situation was to continue to help Mikazo become strong until he was able to take back his pride from the rogue lion who really didn't deserve to be the king of any pride or lands.

Of course, that would not undo what had been done to Tumaini, but at least her life, and those of the other lionesses in that pride, would be far better once Mikazo managed to regain his pride. Simba was confident that Mikazo, though certainly young and inexperienced, would one day be a very good king. He had a lot to learn, but he had the heart for it and would rule his pride well, and he'd keep the welfare of his pride mates in mind.

While on the subject of Mikazo's pride, Msafiri also reported that he had spent some time training with Mikazo and his friends, and that, though initially distracted and with his fighting skill lessened because of this distraction, Mikazo seemed to have returned to his usual skill-level. At least according to Kimada, since neither Msafiri nor Zawadi had seen Mikazo's fighting style before then to know what his usual was.

It had been a busy time, and Simba was grateful to Msafiri for looking after his pride and lands while he and the rest of his family were out. Simba was not all that surprised that things had been busy; his pride seemed hardly able to go long without interesting things happening, and he wondered for a moment if any king of the Pride Lands had had a relatively event-free reign. Probably not.

All of the Pride Landers, as well as Msafiri's visiting pride, were relieved to hear that things had been sorted out with Simba's visits to the surrounding lands and the lions who controlled those territories. If any of those prides had not believed Simba when he'd assured them that he was not planning to train soldiers to steal land from them, then it would almost certainly have meant war, and that was something they were all very glad to avoid.

Mikazo seemed particularly relieved that the issue with the other prides had been cleared up before it could worsen, and Simba guessed that he still felt responsible for it in the first place, since the lions of the other prides wouldn't have been worried at all if they hadn't learned that Simba was training a lion. That may be true, but Simba and his family would have needed to make the rounds to the other prides soon anyway, as he'd told Mikazo, and he and his pride would never have turned Mikazo away when he'd first come to them in need of help, so it was a moot point.

With all of that settled and by the time Simba and his family were laying comfortably on Pride Rock's promontory, with Daka snuggled against his mother's side half asleep, it was late in the day. Before Simba and the others returned, the day's hunting and patrols had made their rounds and reported back that all was well. The sun would be setting soon, and the five of them were all glad to be home again.


	24. Festival

**Hi everyone! I realized something recently about my writing. I realized that I'd begun to do it because I felt I had to, as if there was a deadline I had to meet. I'd all but stopped writing for the enjoyment of it, but I've fixed that now. The reason I write this story is because I love The Lion King, and want to continue the stories of the lions in that world, and now I'm back to that feeling fully. I'd nearly forgotten the most important thing, which is that I love writing. As a result of my remembering that fact, though, this chapter came out pretty quickly, I think. It's the longest one yet for To Reclaim A Birthright.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I hope you like this chapter!**

In the days following the Royal Family's return from their trip to the other prides that lived in the territories just outside the Pride Lands, Mikazo's time was divided between battle training, joining in with one of the pride's hunts, and just spending time with his friends. He, Kimada, and Zawadi had gone out to explore the Pride Lands again and to have some fun, along with an energetic Daka who was clearly thrilled to be playing with his older friends again.

Mikazo had heard all about the trip Daka and his family had been on when they'd first returned; but all the same, Daka had recounted it to Mikazo and Kimada a few times more since then. The little cub seemed intent on telling them every detail he could remember about the different prides and lions they had visited, and it was obvious he had really enjoyed the journey. Mikazo was interested to hear the story, though he wasn't entirely sure how the fact that one of the lions who ruled one of the nearby prides had a mane that stuck up at the back like a crest of feathers on a bird was relevant. Still, it was funny to picture, and Daka had broken out in giggles several times while mentioning it.

In the evening, three days after the Royal Family's return, all of Pride Rock's inhabitants were resting on the promontory, talking amongst themselves and watching as the sky turned deep shades of purple and indigo and the first stars began to appear. They were settling in for the night, though none of them were quite ready for sleep yet. Mikazo was laying next to Kimada and Zawadi, talking quietly with them, when Simba spoke to the entire pride from where he lay with Nala and Kiara near the cave entrance.

"Hey, everyone, I've got good news," Simba said with a smile, catching the attention of everyone on the promontory. "I got word from Zazu earlier today that Timon's meerkat colony is ready for us to make our yearly visit. Timon's mother sent word with a bird friend."

The response to that in general was cheerful chatter among the Pride Lander lions. Mikazo glanced around in confusion, unsure what they were all talking about. To his slight relief, he realized that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand Simba's announcement; the visiting lions from Msafiri's pride, Zawadi, Azizi, Vema, Suluhu and Msafiri himself also looked puzzled.

"That's great!" Kiara exclaimed happily. "I was thinking that it was getting to be that time of year again."

Timon didn't seem quite so thrilled. He jumped down from Pumbaa's head onto the warthog's snout and stalked to its tip, letting out a scoff. "Wait a minute, Ma sent a message to Zazu but not to me?" Timon demanded indignantly, tossing his arms out to either side. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"Relax, Timon," Simba said, amused. "Zazu was just the first one of us the bird could find." He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Your mother did leave a message for you, though... something about a meerkat named Zurura asking about you. Apparently she's looking forward to your visit." Simba's grin widened, and he said with a definitely teasing tone, "Care to share?"

Timon coughed, then said in an oddly strained voice, "Uh, nah, you know me! Nothing to share, Simba, she's just a meerkat I know. I mean, a meerkat who's part of my old colony, that's all- Big group, you know, lots of us there." He paused briefly in his rambling, then added mostly to himself, seeming almost pleased, "So she asked about me? I thought after that prank I pulled with the bugs and the mushrooms with the berry juice..." He trailed off until he was quietly mumbling to himself indistinctly.

"Um, right," Simba said and then looked around at the others in the pride, still grinning. "Anyway, I'm guessing those of you who weren't here last year are a little confused about what I'm talking about."

"Just a bit, yeah," Zawadi confirmed, nodding with a small smile.

"Our pride has a tradition of sorts, where every year at about this time we go to the jungle Timon, Pumbaa, and I used to live in, and where Timon's meerkat colony lives now," Simba explained. "Timon's family invites us over and hosts a series of games and events, and it gives us all a chance to see how they're all doing and to have some fun. And we just got a notice from Timon's mother that they're ready for us to visit again. Of course, everyone's invited to come if they want, your group, too, Msafiri."

"Hey, that sounds pretty cool," Vema commented with a smile, her ears perked in interest and her head cocked to one side. "I'd love a chance to check it out."

Mikazo was in agreement. It did sound like it could be a fair bit of fun, and he wouldn't mind meeting Timon's family. He'd heard about them in some of the stories told by the Pride Landers, and was glad for the chance to meet them himself. He wondered what sort of games and events there might be, and he exchanged a grin with Kimada, eager to get going and find out.

"Last time I went, I'd just joined this pride," Kimada told Mikazo and Zawadi brightly, whisking his tail along the rock behind him to dispel some of his energy. "I was still really young, about eight months old, but I remember it was awesome. This'll be great, going again!"

"Count me in, too, Simba!" Mikazo said.

"Great! So... who else is coming along?" Simba asked, grinning in excitement.

They all decided those who would be going would leave for the jungle tomorrow, and many lions in the pride chose to make the trip. A few of the elder lionesses weren't going, and three lionesses from the hunting party were staying to keep the pride fed. The entire Royal Family of the Pride Lands was, of course, going, as were Timon and Pumbaa. Voninahitra also decided the go, and it was clear that he was looking forward to it as much as the rest who were going. Mikazo was impressed with how well Vonny had taken to pride life. He wasn't a lion, but he fit right in. Of course, the same could be said of Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu, and Rafiki, so it wasn't entirely without precedent.

Most of Msafiri's pride wanted to join the group as well; the only one who decided to stay behind was Msafiri. He explained that it was just too soon after Masa's death for him to want to go play games with a large group. He said he was certain Azizi would enjoy it, though, and so he asked his pride mates to look after the cub on the trip without him, so she could go.

Though Mikazo was somewhat disappointed that Msafiri would not be joining them in the fun, since he quite liked the older lion's company, he understood why he might not be feeling up to games and events when just barely two weeks ago he'd lost his mate. Mikazo hadn't wanted to do anything at all for quite a while after his parents had been murdered, in the two months he had traveled before finding Simba's pride. It was good that Azizi was so close with Msafiri, at least she had her dad to love and care for her. She was often deeply sad, but also had time during which she allowed herself to play. It would be good for her to go on this trip and it was good of Msafiri to allow her to go. Mikazo imagined that he would probably be very lonely for her, the last member of their family, while she was gone.

Mikazo's own grief over the violent, premature death of both of his parents had faded in his mind to a dull roar. He would always miss them, and their deaths would always hurt, but he was able more and more to look to the future... maybe because he had such a strong and vital plan. He was looking forward to the trip himself, and he hoped that Msafiri would start to heal from his own loss soon. At the moment, though, Msafiri would stay with the others who chose to stay at Pride Rock rather than travel to Timon and Pumbaa's old jungle home, and would lend his help on any hunts and various other duties.

It would take the group nearly a full day, from dawn until close to nightfall, to make the trip across the desert to the jungle. Then they would stay a few days with Timon's meerkat colony before returning to the Pride Lands. It might be a bit of a long trip, but Mikazo shared the excitement of the rest of the group at the thought of getting there, filled in as he was by Kimada with stories from the last time, the first time, Kimada himself had been there. It sounded like it would be quite a bit of fun for them all.

The downside was that this trip would take some time away from Mikazo's training, but he would still be getting plenty of exercise if the events were as active as they sounded. It wasn't battle training, but it would still be keeping him in shape, and surely that would help. Besides, with most of the others making the trip as well, if he stayed behind to train, there wouldn't be that many lions still at Pride Rock for him to train with. Msafiri and the hunter lionesses would be busy with the duties they'd taken on with the whole pride gone, such as patrolling and hunting. That probably meant none of them would have much time to train with him if he stayed, and of course the elder lionesses most likely wouldn't want to battle train. There was also the fact that the trip sounded like so much fun he simply wanted to go. So Mikazo decided that he'd just make up for any lost time in training by working especially hard at it when he got back with the others.

Before they headed off, Simba told the group that they'd have to be careful about hunting while they were with Timon's family. Obviously any and all meerkats were completely off the menu, and they'd also have to be cautious about what other animals they hunted so they didn't accidentally prey on any of the colony's friends.

The group had eaten a large antelope that dawn. It had been caught by some late night hunters before the sun had fully risen, so none of them would be that hungry the first day with Timon's family, anyway. Once they arrived at the jungle they would need to hunt again eventually, though. They'd be very careful to hunt only animals far away from the colony of meerkats. From what Simba, Timon and Pumbaa said, it was a very large jungle, so that shouldn't be difficult to manage. It should be abundant with prey species of all kinds, and they could easily get by even on just birds if they couldn't find anything larger.

Mikazo's stride was quick and energetic as he, Kimada, and Zawadi followed Simba and the others as the large group consisting of nearly twenty lions crossed the scent-markers that defined the Pride Lands' border, and left the immense territory behind. Vonny was sitting in his spot between Mikazo's shoulders, a position he held quite often these days. Little Azizi was walking in between Vema and Suluhu, who were a few paces behind Mikazo and his friends, and Mikazo was glad to see that the small cub seemed to be of high spirits.

Timon and Pumbaa were walking next to Simba and Nala at the head of the group, and the four of them especially seemed to be glad to head back to the jungle which held such significance to all of them. It was the place where Simba had grown up, and even though he'd been forced to grow up there rather than in the Pride Lands by a horrible event that had weighed heavily on him, it was obvious he was still fond of the jungle. For Nala, it was where she'd gone to look for help when Scar's cruel reign had become too much to tolerate, where she had found Simba again and realized that he was the rightful king, not Scar, that the Pride Lands could be saved, and where she and Simba had fallen in love. It was also the haven Timon and Pumbaa had found when they'd been searching for a paradise, a story that Mikazo had heard quite often in the storytelling times in the evenings. And of course, now it was where Timon's mother, uncle, and the rest of his colony lived. So Mikazo could understand why the four of them seemed so excited.

The rest of the Pride Landers, like Kimada had, shared their stories of the times they had been in that jungle for the yearly time of games and events with Timon's family. It seemed to Mikazo that he and his friends were in for a great couple of days.

The cheerful group chatted nonstop as they crossed the desert, though the constant heat from the sun began to wear them down after a while. It was true that it was the rainy season, and it was currently drizzling slightly- as it had been all but constantly for a while now- but even so the desert was surprisingly hot, especially with the stored heat from the baking sand rising up and billowing into the group.

Mikazo was thrilled when on the horizon he saw the first signs of a jungle, an absolutely beautiful oasis sprouting from the middle of the desert sand. It had to be the jungle Simba had spoken of so frequently. He would be glad to reach their destination, because his paws were starting to ache from walking on the hot sand. The shade and water that was to be found in the jungle would be quite welcome. It was nearly twilight now, and the cooler air that came with the approach of nightfall helped, but it was still hot.

"Alright! Come on, let's go!" Kimada called happily as he caught sight of the jungle, and picked up his pace to bound on ahead, passing most of the other lions quickly. Mikazo raced after him, feeling new energy spark in his paws. The growing weariness from the desert trek fell from him at the thought of the new sights and adventures waiting in the jungle. He'd learned on the trip from Timon and Pumbaa that they had dubbed it the Hakuna Matata jungle.

As he padded underneath the first trees and looked around, he could completely understand the duo's reasoning behind the name. 'No worries' fit this place beautifully. It was a jungle with magnificent foliage that was thick, leafy and green, and there were flowers of all colors. He could hear rivers and waterfalls deeper inside; and the jungle had a rich, abundant smell to it that caused his fur to prickle with eagerness to explore.

Simba was not far behind them, and the rest of the group was spread out loosely around and behind him. As they walked deeper into the jungle, he called out several names Mikazo didn't recognize, but assumed to be the names of meerkats that Simba knew.

"Hey, Ma, Uncle Max!" Timon called from his position on Pumbaa's back. "It's us! Come on out, already!"

"Timmy!" a voice called joyfully, and Timon hopped down to the ground as a small contingent of meerkats hurried up to the group, with a plump and kind looking female meerkat in the lead. Mikazo noticed how much the female meerkat resembled Timon, and guessed that she was his mother. This was confirmed as she pulled Timon into a hug that looked quite bone-crushing, babbling happily as she squeezed until her words nearly ran together. From Timon's quiet choking, it was clear he was finding it a little hard to breathe, but he was obviously very happy to see his mother.

An older meerkat with gray-tipped tan fur was among the first to walk up to their group. It took only a moment for Timon to recognize the meerkat as his beloved, if sometimes exasperating, Uncle Max. The two shared a joyful embrace. As the two groups greeted each other, more meerkats arrived from around the jungle, all appearing excited to see their guests. Soon, the whole colony was gathered around the group from the Pride Lands. Individuals from the colony called out their welcomes to lions they clearly recognized from past visits, and greeted the newcomers as new friends.

The meerkats led the group of visiting lions- and assorted species of friends- deeper into the jungle, to where the colony had made their home. Unlike most meerkat colonies, this group no longer lived in tunnels under the ground. Though they had done so before they'd moved to this jungle, they no longer needed to now that they lived here in this jungle that didn't have any species that would prey upon the meerkats, most notably hyenas. It was perfectly safe here for them to stay above-ground and enjoy their lives in the sunshine and fresh air, without the need for lookouts on constant alert for an approaching predator.

It was, according to the meerkats, a much more relaxed life for them all. Much more peaceful than the lives they used to lead before Timon led them to this jungle. By all accounts, though he hadn't been all that well liked before with his penchant for accidentally bringing down tunnels and structural-supports, and a somewhat infamous incident of breaking into song while on sentry duty and a resultant unexpected hyena attack, Timon was now quite popular in his colony. Finding your family a predator free paradise to live in can have that effect on your reputation.

The more they saw of the jungle, the more Mikazo was amazed by its beauty. He'd never seen any place as striking in appearance as the Hakuna Matata jungle. Not even the Pride Lands, for all its remarkable scenery, quite measured up. There were thin trees and ones with thick trunks, and many of them were covered thickly in soft, deep layered green moss. Flowers of all colors, including purple, orange, blue, red, and every mixture in between, hung from the vines that were strung overhead between the branches of the trees, and grew on the moss that coated the tree trunks, and the rocks that were scattered around the jungle.

The foliage overhead was thick and green, and blocked much of the sky from sight; though there were frequent holes among the leaves that would allow shafts of sunlight through on sunny days. Today, though, it was raining, and very little light shined through. The canopy was thick enough in most places that the group was relatively dry, despite the drizzling rain. The gentle sounds of water falling from leaf to leaf as some of the drops eventually made their way to the group was almost hypnotizing.

The hills that jutted upward from the center of the jungle were visible from most everywhere. Their stone surfaces were of rich browns, and light to dark grays. Waterfalls tumbled down here and there on all sides of the hills.

The undergrowth was thick, with broad leafed plants gathered in large clusters, but not so thick it was impossible to traverse. It was as colorful and gorgeous as the rest of the jungle. Along with these thick grown areas, there were wide open glades with tall grass and flowers, where only a few trees speckled the otherwise wide open plains, but bordered on all sides by the jungle that surrounded these glades. Bird calls could be heard throughout the jungle, as could the sound of their wings rustling the foliage, and the buzz and click of multitudes of insects.

All and all, it really was a beautiful place, and it made a wonderful home for Timon's family. It was clear as the meerkats showed them around that they really loved their home, and Mikazo was not the only one impressed with it. It was just as clear that the others who had also never before seen the jungle, Zawadi, Vonny, Azizi, and Vema and Suluhu, were just as amazed as he was. Daka, who was too young to have made the trip last time, not having even been born this time last year, was looking around with a bright expression. Kimada, though he had been here once before as a young cub, was nearly prancing on his paws as they traveled, and Mikazo couldn't help but grin at his friend's excitement.

As they walked through the jungle, having a look around, Mikazo and the others talked quite a bit with their meerkat hosts. Mikazo found that most of them were very good company. He especially liked Timon's mother, who was very maternal and kind to everyone with whom she spoke.

Along the way, Mikazo overheard Timon talking with his mother and uncle. Apparently, his mother was now in charge of the nursery unit; a group of meerkats whose job it was watch after the young meerkats of the colony while the parents were otherwise occupied. Essentially, they were babysitters, and Timon's ma was the leader of this group. She was clearly proud of her work and appeared to enjoy it immensely. Mikazo felt she was well suited for the job.

As for Timon's Uncle Max, the older meerkat turned out to be the one who had come up with the idea of events and games held every year in the first place. He also held these events many days for the meerkats of the colony, even when their lion friends were not visiting. According to Uncle Max, it was so that none of the meerkats of the colony became fat and lazy from doing absolutely nothing but lounging around relaxing, and it was something that was considered great fun by many of the younger meerkats. As for the oldest members of the colony, they mostly skipped the most active events and joined Uncle Max in his yoga classes, of which he was the teacher, although he also had meerkats of all ages in his classes.

It was obvious that Timon was quite proud of his mother and uncle, even if he didn't quite say as much to Uncle Max. After speaking for a long while with his family, Timon had gone around the rest of the colony, seeking out meerkats he knew.

A while into their trip through the jungle, Mikazo glanced over to see that Timon was now walking beside a female meerkat of about the same age as Timon himself. They were deep in conversation and walking perhaps a bit closer together than was necessary for comfortable speech. She had pale tan fur that had a somewhat reddish shade at the tips, and a dark brown tuft of hair on her head, also stained faintly red. Her eyes were green, and just like all the other meerkats, her underbelly was cream colored. She sported deep brown stripes along her back.

She seemed to be enjoying her conversation with Timon, and judging from Timon's slight stuttering and apparent nervousness while he spoke to her, Mikazo figured that she was the meerkat that Timon's ma had mentioned in her message, the meerkat that had been asking about him. He believed she was called Zurura. Mikazo noticed that Simba was also watching the two of them and had a slightly incredulous expression, grinning both in disbelief and fond amusement. Pumbaa, who had been walking at Simba's side, trotted over to the two meerkats and struck up a chat with Zurura, as well, clearly wanting to talk with the meerkat who seemed to have charmed his closest friend.

Mikazo and his friends got to know the meerkats quickly; and, once they had explored around the jungle enough that they could find their way around pretty well, they all decided to settle in for the night. The games would start early tomorrow and no one wanted to be tired for the competitions.

The meerkat colony had taken the Pride Lander group to the area of the jungle where they themselves made their home and where they slept. It was in the center of a small glade near the heart of the jungle, which was speckled with several trees for shade and cover, and the meerkats had nests beneath some of these trees. They were made of flattened grass on which the meerkats slept alongside each other in largish groups. These meerkats were likely the only colony for many miles around who slept above-ground, Mikazo knew. He realized that Simba and the other lions of the Pride Lands seemed to know a lot of very unusual animals. That was quite a bit of fun, though, and certainly never boring. The group of visitors were welcomed to sleep nearby, and so they all made their own make-shift nests that would serve as their sleeping spots for their time here in the jungle.

While Voninahitra left his perch on Mikazo's back to make a nest in the branches of a nearby tree, Mikazo chose a spot next to a leafy bush and walked in a tight circle until he'd padded down the grass into a soft pile. Kimada flopped down on his side close by, yawning widely, while Zawadi arched her back in a stretch before laying down with her side pressed against her brother's back. Mikazo was excited about the upcoming games and excitement usually kept him up late. Tonight, though, he was rather tired from his long walk through first the desert, then the jungle. It had been a long day for all of the lions, and despite his eagerness for tomorrow's festivities, he soon found himself comfortably ready for a nice, deep sleep.

Movement beside him got his attention for a moment, however, and he watched with sleepy amusement as Simba, Timon and Pumbaa got ready to sleep. He'd heard that while living in this jungle the three of them had always slept in a pile. Simba had told them all one lazy night on Pride Rock how he'd sleep on the bottom, Pumbaa would curl up on his stomach or just next to him, and Timon would make his bed on Pumbaa's back or Simba's chest. It seemed that they'd decided to sleep much the same way tonight, maybe for old time's sake. But of course, now that Simba had a mate, they made some room for Nala, too. The resultant sleeping arrangement was one where Simba was laying on his side with one fore-paw around Nala, whose head was resting on his mane, Pumbaa was slumped on top of Simba's side, already snoring away the instant he'd laid down, and Timon was laying on his back with his arms behind his head, most of his body resting on Simba, but with his head pillowed against Nala's neck.

"That actually looks surprisingly comfortable," Zawadi noted aloud, also apparently watching Simba and the others. Mikazo chuckled as she continued: "Hey, Kimada, Pumbaa falls asleep even faster than you do! I didn't know that was possible." When there was no response, she glanced over at her brother to find that he seemed to already be deeply asleep. "Kimada?"

Mikazo shook his head with a smile. He dearly loved his friends.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

As the day dawned bright and clear, with a short break in the rain, the hopeful participants were already lining up at the event sites. These events would be held simultaneously, so all of the participants were free to pick and choose which games they felt most like playing at the moment.

To Mikazo's slight surprise, and to Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa's obvious excitement, one of the events was called the vine-swing. This game consisted of swinging as far as you could over a lake on a vine that could be gripped in your muzzle if you were a lion or a warthog; or hands, if you were a meerkat. Once you'd reached the end of the swing, you were supposed to release the vine so you would drop into the lake. If done correctly, the momentum of your swing would carry you somewhat farther before gravity finally pulled you into the water.

The goal was to swing farther out over the water than anyone else. Points were given depending on how far out you swung. A total of five points was given for swinging out as far as the tree a eighth of the way along the side of the lake, and ten points for making it to the same area of the lake where the rock farther along was. Then it was fifteen and twenty points for making it past later markers. That was very difficult to do by all accounts of those who had previously participated in this event. There were several rounds of the event, with a lion's or meerkat's total points being tallied together once all of their rounds had been completed. The winner of the event was the one with the most total points added together from all of their rounds.

Though initially unsure, Mikazo enjoyed the vine-swing game immensely, once they started. It took some practice until he was able to swing out over the lake well, but as they were allowed some practice swings before they started counting them as part of the rounds and scoring on them, he got a chance to improve in the game. Mikazo found that it was somewhat difficult to grip the vine in his teeth and run toward the lake without tripping over the part of the vine that trailed over the ground, but he was learning. It was surprisingly fun to launch himself out over the lake while clinging to the vine, though he didn't get very far the first few attempts.

Simba was quite good at this game, it turned out, since vine-swinging was something he, Timon, and Pumbaa had done often when they'd lived in this jungle. That was back before Simba had returned to the Pride Lands. He gave Mikazo, Kimada, and a few of the others who had never played this game a few tips, which was very helpful of him, especially considering he'd be competing against them when the event started.

Of course, Kimada threw himself into the game with his usual enthusiasm. On his second practice run, halfway through his swing, he accidentally bit straight through the vine he'd been swinging on. Kimada let out a startled cry and fell into the water not far from the lake edge, sending a massive splash over Mikazo and several others.

When Kimada got back to the water's surface, shaking his head to scatter the water, he was laughing, as was Mikazo. "That didn't go much like it did in my head," he told Mikazo as he pulled himself onto the shore, still chuckling. "But I was already wet anyway, so no harm done, right?"

"Except to that poor vine," Mikazo pointed out with a grin, jerking his muzzle at the bitten in half strand of greenery that hung nearby, its shortened end now trailing off raggedly. He was suddenly splattered anew with water droplets as Kimada shook himself hard, but before he could retaliate by tackling his friend to the ground, Kimada had run back over to a new vine to try another practice swing before the event began properly.

Mikazo, Kimada, Zawadi, and the others continued practicing until the event started, and then they all gave the vine-swing a go. At the end of their rounds, Mikazo felt that his results were respectable, while Kimada bragged that his were exceptional.

Pumbaa had just started his practice tries as they were leaving, and he hadn't looked like he'd be any competition for even the smallest meerkats. Mikazo hoped that Pumbaa would do better in another event because vine-swinging really didn't seem to be his best event.

After they'd completed their rounds in the vine-swing, Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi, who had all decided to stick mostly together as they went from event to event, wandered around to see what other games were going on. The events were spread out over two days so they could wander from one to another at their leisure. The results of all of the events would be given at the end of the two day period. This really was a paradise.

Mikazo spotted Simba and Kovu competing at an event that seemed to be a combination of tree climbing and racing, where the goal was to climb up a tree as quickly as possible. Despite their large size, both of the adult lions seemed to be doing pretty well climbing the trees. He also noticed that Voninahitra was hanging around for his chance at that event, which didn't surprise him at all. He knew Vonny loved to climb trees, and guessed that the ring-tailed lemur would do well when it was his turn to play. Kiara was also waiting her turn, watching her father and mate race each other up the tree with a grin. It looked pretty busy in that event at the moment, since there was also a line of meerkats ready to go. Mikazo and his friends decided to skip that one for now and keep looking around.

He and his friends found an event which interested all three of them; a tight-rope walking game where vines thick enough to hold the weight of most lions but thin enough to pose a challenge were strung between two trees, a short distance from the ground. The vines was high enough that it was clearly a tight-rope walking challenge, but low enough to the ground that if anyone fell off, they'd be unlikely to be hurt.

"Why don't we give it a try?" Zawadi suggested.

"Sure, let's go!" Kimada agreed cheerfully. "It looks like fun. I wonder how the meerkats got those vines wrapped around those branches, though. Must have been hard."

"Just try not to snap any of these vines, Kimada," Mikazo said with a grin. "They might not thank you if you do."

"Aw, come on, I'm not that heavy!" Kimada retorted playfully.

Mikazo trotted up to the first tree with his friends at his side. "So who wants to go first?"

They all gave the game a try, and it proved to be a favorite nearly right away, though it was surprisingly difficult. Kimada, though he was the heaviest and bulkiest of the young lions, still did quite well on the tight-rope vines. Far and away the best at the game among the three was Zawadi, whose slight frame seemed well suited to balancing on precarious surfaces and who was able to move across the vines with impressive speed. All the same, all three of them took an occasional tumble, but were really having the time of their lives with all these events.

Once they eventually tired of that event, at least for now, they all decided they were in need of a short rest, so the three of them took a break. They stretched out underneath a tree and watched the others playing the games for a while. Mikazo watched with amusement as Daka and Azizi had great fun playing what seemed to be a form of tag-team racing with some young meerkats they had befriended from Timon's colony.

The tag-team race seemed to be set up in such a way that one participant ran from one point to another, tagged that second point, and then ran back to the first point. Daka and Azizi were teamed together, and Daka went first, racing from the starting line which was set near a large boulder, to a tree some distance away, while a young meerkat did the same at his side, competing against him. The goal seemed to be to carry something from point one to point two. In this case, it was a stick that Daka carried in his mouth as he ran. The meerkat had one, too. When they got to point two they placed their stick there, then ran back to point one to tag their partner who was waiting in line. In Daka's case this was Azizi, who would then run to point two, snatch up the stick her partner had left there, and run back to point one with it. Whichever team managed to complete that circuit first was the winning team.

Daka and Azizi seemed to be enjoying themselves playing with the meerkat kits, and Mikazo and his friends watched them play for a while before they got their energy back and set off to find another game of their own to play.

They passed a group of meerkats who were holding swimming races. Though it looked enjoyable, there weren't that many lions competing with them, probably since most lions weren't the speediest of swimmers.

The three of them also spotted Nala, who seemed to be hosting a game for the lions, a pinning event. They stopped to chat with her, and found out that the event was her idea. Pinning was something she excelled at, and she was clearly enjoying teaching the other lions how to do her signature move well. They stuck around there for a while and competed in that event. Though it seemed none of them would ever reach Nala's level of skill while using the flip and pin move, they were still enjoying themselves. They moved on after some time, before any of them could become too sore from being pinned against the ground, though the fun of the flip was well worth the mild ache that sometimes resulted.

Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi found Simba in another part of the jungle nearby. He seemed to be helping organize the teams for an obstacle course race, working with Timon's Uncle Max. The obstacle course consisted of logs that had been pulled onto the course, and stumps as well as trees and bushes that grew there already. Stones were scattered all around the course; both ones that jutted up naturally from the ground, and those that seemed to have been rolled there in order to make the game more challenging. While examining the course, Mikazo realized that it was set up in such a way that it was possible, though a challenge, to go either high or low while choosing a route, which meant that it was equally challenging for both lions and meerkats.

Once the obstacle course was fully set up, which only took a short time more, Mikazo was one of the first at the starting point. He liked the look of this game and was looking forward to getting started. The obstacle course was also part race course. All the participants would be running through the obstacle course as quickly as they could. It was a fairly long obstacle course, but not a massive one. Mikazo couldn't see the end of it from where he was standing at the start, but that was largely because of the intervening foliage and the obstacles on the course.

At his side, also waiting for the event to start, were Kimada and Zawadi, of course. But there were also a few other Pride Lands lionesses, Vitani among them, and quite a few meerkats from Timon's colony. All and all, there were around fifteen participants in this event, which meant that it was going to be pretty busy once the races started.

The participants would go through one at a time. At the beginning an official would shout 'Start!' and a second official at the end would begin counting. When the racer came out the other end of the course, the counting official would call out the number of seconds it took them to complete the course. He'd keep track of everyone's counts so he could declare a winner at the end of the festival when all event winners would be announced. The current counter for this event was a meerkat named Chimba.

Mikazo watched as the first few participants in line ahead of him ran through the course. He was surprised to find that despite the fact that the meerkats were so much smaller than the lions, they were surprisingly fast. Three meerkats and one lioness played the event before it was Kimada's turn. Mikazo was just behind him.

Kimada trotted up to the starting line before looking back at Mikazo. "Hey, Mikazo, feel up to a race?"

Mikazo cocked his head. "What'dya mean?"

"I'm challenging you to a race!" Kimada said with a grin. "Come on, let's run the course together. Betcha I can beat you, no problem!"

"Oh, really?" Mikazo narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin with a deliberately cocky air. "We'll see about that." He stepped forward, then paused uncertainly and looked at the meerkat official who started the races. "Is it allowed for two to run at the same time?" he asked.

The meerkat, a female with an unusually dark tan coat, shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not." She raised her voice to call to the official at the end. "Hey, Chimba! Two will be racing this time, alright?"

A faint call filtered back through the foliage, another meerkat's voice, this one a male. "Two, huh? Well, alright! Got it!"

The dark-coated meerkat looked back at Mikazo and Kimada. "Okay, you two, whenever you're ready." She gestured to the starting line.

Mikazo walked up next to Kimada. "So... you think you can beat me with no problem, huh, Kimada?"

"Yep!" Kimada agreed briskly, tossing him another grin.

Mikazo snorted and swatted Kimada lightly with a paw. "Oh, you are asking for it!" He crouched down, tensing his body to run. "Come on, then, bring it on!"

Once both of them were ready, and the meerkat official called out "Start!", they both leapt forward. They started out across the clearing at a dead out run. Just where the trees started they came across the first obstacle. There were vines strung across the way. They were tied between the trees from one side to the other at about the height of the bend of a lion's leg. The vines were in a long continuous line, strung between tree after tree for a distance of perhaps ten feet, and were each strung very close together, and fairly close to the ground. The lions had to step over each vine as quickly as they could without tangling their paws up and falling.

Forced to slow to a trot as he navigated the vines, Mikazo thought that it was too bad he wasn't a meerkat, in this case. The vines were high enough that a meerkat on all fours could just run under them, clearing it far more quickly than a lion could. Finally breaking free of the obstacle, Mikazo glanced over to see that Kimada was just a step behind him, tripping very slightly over the last of the vines.

Mikazo turned back ahead, grinning at his small lead, just in time to nearly run face first into the next obstacle; a large log that had been drug over the path. Yelping in surprise, Mikazo automatically threw himself into a leap, up and over the log, his belly brushing the rough wood as he barely cleared it. He landed hard and stumbled a few steps before he regained his stride. Looking back over his shoulder, Mikazo realized how thick the log was. It extended quite a bit above the ground, and he realized that now it was actually a good thing he was a lion and not a meerkat, since those little guys would have some trouble getting over that log without a lion's ability to leap.

Kimada had caught back up to him by then, and was just about even with him as they ran. They both looked ahead to see that the next obstacle was a deep mud puddle over which several vines hung. Clearly they were meant to swing over the mud puddle from the vines, much like the vine-swing event they had played earlier. Kimada reached the puddle first and sprang into the air, snatching a vine in his teeth as he did. As Kimada swung over the puddle, his hind paws flailing, Mikazo lunged for his own vine.

Gripping the long green strand in his mouth, Mikazo leapt out over the mud. In his haste to catch up to Kimada, however, he'd failed to grab the vine properly. He felt his grip begin to slip as his teeth were yanked from the vine's surface by the force of his swing. He just had time to see Kimada land safely on the other side before he fell with a splash into the mud puddle, sending a wave of glop up over his body and face.

Blinking and spluttering, momentarily blind as the thick mud dripped from his eyes and whiskers, he heard Kimada call back cheerfully, "You know, that's good pay back for laughing at me when I fell in the water during the vine swing!"

"Get back here!" Mikazo yelled with a brief bark of a laugh as he tossed himself out of the mud and ran after Kimada, not bothering to slow down and shake the mud from his pelt. Though it was gloppy and felt gross clumped in his fur, he'd clean it off after the race. Preferably, after he'd won.

"Not a chance!" Kimada laughed.

A short distance ahead of them was the next obstacle, a slalom course made up of rocks. The rocks were set in a curving line in such a way that a racer would have to dart to the left of one rock, and then to the right of the next, in a zigzag pattern.

Mikazo had closed the gap between himself and Kimada somewhat by the time his friend reached the slalom course, clearly enjoying himself. When Mikazo got to the first rock, he dove to the side of it, then passed the next rock on the opposite side as the first, heart racing as he pushed himself to move as quickly as possible without slamming into the rocks. Both he and Kimada crossed through the slalom in excellent time, though they both skidded slightly while taking some of the sharper turns. By the end of it, they were both laughing breathlessly, and Mikazo had caught up until he was just behind Kimada's tail.

They next ran through a short clearing with some large stones scattered around. To add to the fun, an occasional log had been pulled across the path. Then, as they reached the tree line again, they came to a small lake just inside of the foliage. They were clearly meant to swim through it, and since they were both feeling hot from the long run and effort of the obstacle course, not to mention being very muddy in Mikazo's case, the lake obstacle was a welcome sight for both.

Mikazo had pulled back alongside Kimada by this point, and just barely one after the other, they jumped into the lake with a splash. Mikazo, to his slight embarrassment, nearly purred at the relief of the cool water and of the mud being washed from his coat. Pulling in a deep breath, he put all of his effort into swimming as quickly as he could, kicking all four legs hard. At his side, Kimada swam along quickly. The lake wasn't all that large, and it wasn't long before they both pulled themselves out on the other side, soaked to the skin but feeling much refreshed from the coolness of the lake.

Looking ahead, Mikazo saw that there was nothing more than a straight shot through to the finish, where the meerkat official who was timing them was waiting. Next to the meerkat was the tree that Mikazo and Kimada had learned they were supposed to tag to finish the race. There was little in the path aside from tall grass and trailing vines to slow them down, so both young lions immediately threw themselves into their fastest running speed.

Mikazo and Kimada ran neck and neck through this last part of the course, and then, as they got to the tree, Mikazo tagged it on the right side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kimada tag it on the left at what seemed like the same time. As Mikazo spun around to the other side of the tree, Kimada did the same, and neither of them had the chance to pull up before they slammed face to face into each other.

They were both knocked to the ground, one on top of the other, skidding sideways along the ground in a tumble, their limbs tangled, their tails lashing as they tried to get some form of balance back. As they tumbled to a stop, they both burst out laughing, pulling themselves free and rolling onto their backs, kicking their hind paws up in the air.

From around the tree, the counting official meerkat, who Mikazo remembered had been called Chimba, came bounding on all fours. He looked at them with a grin as they both continued laughing, neither quite able to get a hold of themselves yet. Chimba chuckled, stood, and crossed his arms. "I'll just call this a tie, shall I?" he asked, which didn't help Mikazo and Kimada control their hysterics.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

As night fell and everyone was getting ready to sleep, almost every last animal from both the meerkat and Pride Lander groups were happily exhausted from the day's fun and games. It was dark in the jungle, but in this clearing, the sky was wide open for them all to see. Though it had rain clouds scattered across it, it wasn't raining at the moment, and Mikazo could see quite a few stars through the clouds. It was a beautiful sight that went well with the peace of the night-time jungle. The quiet around them was broken only by the buzz of insects and the occasional call of a night bird.

Mikazo stretched leisurely and then shook out his pelt, which had long since dried after his and Kimada's swim through that lake. It was extremely ruffled and dusty, and it stuck up in clumps and patches from all of the day's events. Mikazo decided he'd need to give his fur a good grooming before he slept or he'd be itching all night long. As he cleaned the fur along his back, he heard Simba talking with Msafiri's young daughter, Azizi, and Mikazo's ears flicked as he caught the somewhat upset tone in Azizi's voice. He glanced around to see what was up.

"But some of the events didn't seem fair to the meerkats," Azizi said quietly, her head lowered as she sat with slumped shoulders, clearly bothered by the thought. "They're so much smaller than lions are! Like those races, their legs are so much shorter, how can they keep up? The meerkats are so nice, I made a lot of friends, and I don't want them to be sad because they can't win the games."

"Don't worry," Simba assured her. "We made sure when the events were first set up that they were done so that both groups had a chance. If one part of the event was easier for lions to manage and harder for the meerkats, then another part of that same event would be easier for the meerkats and harder for the lions." He smiled. "And besides, with the races, meerkats are just fine. They may be a lot smaller than any lion is, but they're really very fast. I've had a lot of races with Timon since we met, and he's hard to beat. It's great of you to worry about your new friends, Azizi, but the events are just as fair to them as they are to us, I promise. None of us would have it any other way."

Azizi had perked up a good deal as Simba spoke. "I didn't know that," she said, much more happily. "That's great! I'm planning on playing with my new friends tomorrow, with Daka, too, but I didn't want things to be unfair for them. I'm glad the games are all even for everyone!"

Simba's smile widened to a grin. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun tomorrow with all of them. Daka mentioned that he really enjoyed your company."

"Really?" Azizi smiled and flicked her tail, pleased. "He's a good friend! It's nice to have another cub around. Everyone else is so much bigger than me, so I get left out of things they do, like hunting... But with Daka that's not a problem! I'm even a little taller than he is." There was a faint note of smugness in her voice at that last part.

Simba laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are! You might want to be careful, though, he'll catch up someday!"

Azizi lifted her nose primly. "Oh, no he won't! I'm going to be the biggest, strongest lioness ever! Just you watch!"

"I don't doubt it," Simba said, clearly amused. "You should probably get to sleep soon, Azizi, so you're not tired tomorrow." He jerked his head over at Vema and Suluhu, both of whom Azizi had slept alongside the night before. "Why don't you head off now?"

"Alright, I guess so. I am a bit tired. Thanks, Simba, for telling me about the games and the meerkats," Azizi said. She brushed her small head against his foreleg in a nuzzle as she passed and trotted off to sleep. Simba, still smiling, padded over to join Nala, Timon and Pumbaa.

Mikazo smiled to himself as he moved on to washing his tail-tip, which was somehow still clogged with a little mud despite the swim through the lake and the time that had passed since he and Kimada had played that event. He liked little Azizi, she was a great cub. It was good of Simba to put her worries to rest when it came to the events.

"Hey, Mikazo," he heard Zawadi say. He looked over as she sat next to him, glancing at his still ruffled fur with amusement. "Still washing up, huh?"

"Yeah, it's been a busy day."

"I'm not surprised, with that fall into the mud puddle." Zawadi grinned. "Oh, I wish I'd seen that! I missed a great show."

"It wasn't that interesting..." Mikazo said with a huff.

"Not what Kimada says!" Zawadi chuckled. "Oh, and he also mentioned the fact that both of you ran straight into each other at the end of the race and crashed, so don't worry, I've been laughing at him, too. Now_ that,_ I really wish I'd seen..." She sighed dramatically and shook her head. "But no, I was still waiting in line for my own turn at the course and I missed all of it... What luck, huh?"

Mikazo rolled his eyes, grinning. "So, did you just come over to tease me?" he wondered.

"More or less, yeah." She bumped his shoulder with her own, then cocked her head, one eyebrow raised as she smirked. "After all, so much of my fun is in teasing you and Kimada!"

"Yeah, I noticed that," Mikazo said, chuckling.

"Really, though, this has been a great day, hasn't it?" Zawadi said more seriously after a moment. "With all of these games and things, there's so much to do. Honestly, I haven't had this much fun all in one day in forever."

Mikazo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, same here. It's great of the meerkats to invite everyone over like this. It really has been a great day, and there's more to come tomorrow. Then after that it's back to the Pride Lands, I suppose. I wonder what the results are for all of the events, who won what?"

"I'm looking forward to finding out!" Zawadi grinned, and then paused, her expression becoming thoughtful. "You know, I still can't believe any of this," she said musingly. "Three weeks ago, I didn't even know my brother was alive. And then there Kimada was, we just met each other again out of nowhere. I mean, it's awful that Masa died, it's not like everything that's happened has all been good in the whole thing. But I just can't believe that I found Kimada again." She smiled. "It was also great of Simba to let us all stay. We are a whole pride, so that's a lot more mouths to feed."

"You help in the hunting, all of you, so it's not like you're a burden," Mikazo pointed out. "Plus, there seems to be a lot of prey in the Pride Lands, so there's no danger of running out any time soon. And I'm really glad that you're all here. It's been great getting to know you all, you, Msafiri, and Azizi." He paused, tilting his head, then said, "I should probably talk more to Vema and Suluhu, too, actually... I haven't really, yet." He grinned, focusing back on the conversation. "You know, Kimada has been over the moon since you showed up, and he still hasn't come back down. He's so happy to have you back."

"Well, of course he is, I'm inherently awesome," Zawadi said brightly.

Mikazo laughed. "Well, I suppose you'll get no arguments from me on that account."

Zawadi blinked and smiled. "Good to know!" She nudged her head against his shoulder, leaning against him briefly as she did. "Meeting you is another one of the upsides of the whole thing, you know," she said quietly. "A pretty big one, too." She paused, pulled back and straightened. Clearing her throat, she added briskly, "I mean, it's not like you aren't extremely annoying at times. You are, believe me. But I think I've gotten used to you."

"Uh... thanks?" Mikazo said, caught between feeling flattered and slightly offended.

"Any time!" Zawadi got to her paws and took a step back, her tail whisking along the ground behind her. "I think I'll head off to sleep now. See you tomorrow, Mikazo." She turned and hurried off in the direction of the sleeping spot she, Kimada, and Mikazo had spent the night before.

Mikazo stared after her, surprised by her abrupt departure. After a moment, he shrugged. It had been a long day, so of course she was ready for some sleep. He was feeling pretty tired himself, and he went back to grooming his coat so he could finally get it done and get some sleep.

After he was finished and his coat was smooth and clean again, he found Kimada near one of the waterholes nearby the clearing the meerkats' made their home. Joining his friend at the waterhole, he drank some and briefly thought about tossing a pawful over Kimada and starting a water-fight, but decided that would have to wait until tomorrow. Knowing Kimada- and himself, for that matter- it would turn into a massive water-war and they'd never get to sleep.

Kimada stepped back from the water and stretched, yawning. He shook himself, apparently trying to wake himself up somewhat. "I'm exhausted, but really wired," he said, his words nearly swallowed by a second yawn that he tried to stifle. "I wonder if there are any more events we haven't played yet."

"Bound to be a few," Mikazo said. "We'll have to look around tomorrow."

"Yep!" Kimada agreed, some of his spirit returning despite his sleepiness. "And I'm going to win every last event there is!"

"Don't you mean_ I _am?" Mikazo countered with a grin. "I mean, sure, you can come in second place in all of the events, but first place is mine!"

"My poor deluded friend, you don't know how wrong you are..." Kimada laughed.

Trying not to laugh, Mikazo snorted, and wondered if shoving Kimada into the waterhole would result in a water-fight that would keep them up all night. Probably. That would have to wait until tomorrow, too.

He swore, though, that Kimada would have no idea what had hit him.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

As expected, the next day of events proved to be just as much fun as the first. Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi, along with Vonny, who joined their little group as they moved from event to event, found several new games they hadn't noticed the day before. The meerkat colony had clearly gone all out while planning these events, and they were obviously enjoying themselves just as much as the Pride Landers were.

As evening fell and the day was winding down, everyone was resting after their second day straight of near ceaseless fun and games. Then the announcement they'd all been waiting for finally came. It was time to gather to hear who'd won the events.

Timon's Uncle Max got to his feet and walked into the center of the gathering. The older meerkat put a fist to his muzzle and cleared his throat, then put both hands behind his back and lifted his chin as he began to speak. "Alright, everyone, I'm the MC. That's Master of Ceremonies, for those of you who don't know. The results of the events are as follows.

"For the costume parade, little Shika won by a landslide when her mother dressed her up as a caterpillar and it looked so realistic that Sosi tried to eat her! We're happy to report that mother, baby and predator are all doing fine."

There was a round of laughter from both the lions and the meerkats at that.

"I still can't believe you did that, Sosi!" Mikazo heard one meerkat say to another in a tone of incredulous amusement. The other meerkat, a male with a tan coat and a dark red tuft of fur on his head who had to be Sosi, pretended not to hear.

"For the tag-team races," Uncle Max continued, "it's the team of Haraka and Kasi. Congratulations, ladies!"

Two young female meerkats near the front, who were just above the age of young kits but not yet adults, let out simultaneous whoops and high-fived.

"Way to go, guys!" Azizi called happily over to her friends, two of the meerkats she and Daka had befriended.

"Yeah!" Daka added, bouncing on his paws.

"For the pinning event, it was close, but we have to give it to Simba, whose unique combination of flipping and tickling made the difference!"

The Pride Land contingent started cheering as Timon and Pumbaa, much like the two young meerkats had, exchanged a high-five.

Through the cheering and his own laughter, Mikazo could just hear Nala speak, though all he caught was a grumbled, "...only because I let you win."

"You just keep telling yourself that, dear," Simba said, patting her on the back with a paw and grinning from ear to ear.

Uncle Max continued with a grin, "For the grub-gobbling event, topping off at forty-seven grubs gobbled, is my very own nephew, Timon!"

A large chorus of 'Bravos!' from both groups was shouted out at that one.

"There was a grub-gobbling event? Dang, I never saw that one!" Simba groaned after the cries had died down.

"Good!" Timon retorted with a grin. "I'll never forget that snail slurping contest we had!"

Simba chuckled. "Yeah, that was good one. Congrats, Timon!"

"For the obstacle course event, it's Kudura from the Pride Lands, with an impressive speed of three hundred and twelve seconds!"

The lead huntress lifted her head proudly as congrats were offered from all around.

"Oh, I thought we had that one in the bag!" Kimada said jokingly, nudging Mikazo. Then he called, "Way to go, Kudura!"

Three more events were announced; the dancing contest, the tug of war, and the rock-skipping contest, all of which were won by various meerkats from Timon's colony. Though Mikazo had been introduced to all the meerkats, he hadn't had a chance to spend any time with these particular ones.

"For the tree-climbing event, Voninahitra the lemur left everyone in his dust! Congratulations, Vonny!"

"Alright!" Mikazo exclaimed and reached out to slap a paw to Vonny's back, though it was more of a tap than a slap, since he was taking care not to knock him over. "You did it, Vonny!"

Vonny dipped his head with a slightly shy smile. "I can't help it, climbing comes naturally to ring-tailed lemurs!"

"For the high-jumping event, the under two foot in height winner is Ruka the meerkat!" Cheers went up from everyone. Ruka was a popular meerkat.

"And the over two foot in height winner is Nala the lioness!" Uncle Max then announced.

More cheers followed this announcement as a small tan blur ran across the ground to Nala, who met her halfway. Ruka and Nala hugged, both of them grinning at their success.

Uncle Max continued. "For the six-legged race, it's the brother and sister team of Kovu and Vitani!"

Kovu let out a whoop and bumped shoulders with a grinning Vitani, before they were both tackled to the ground by Kiara and Daka as they shouted their congratulations. Kovu laughed as he returned his family's nuzzles, and Vitani chuckled and swatted at them as she half-heartedly tried to free herself from her sister-in-law's and nephew's pins.

Uncle Max was chuckling as he announced the next winners. "For the swimming event, the meerkat winner is Samaki, and the lion winner is Nyota!"

Nyota punched her paw in the air triumphantly as Samaki laughed happily. Both received warm congrats from the group around them.

"This is quite a long list, isn't it?" Uncle Max said with a smirk. "Many of these events I came up with myself, just in case anyone was wondering. Anyway, moving on! For the tight-rope walking event, the winner is little Azizi, a newcomer to our events and the cutest little lioness alive!"

A round of cheers went up from all quarters, and Azizi was swiftly bowled to the ground by an enthusiastic Daka. Mikazo grinned happily, feeling oddly proud of the young cub.

"Last but not least is the vine-swing event!" Uncle Max announced. "And in a surprise turn of events, the biggest winner of the vine-swing is Pumbaa the warthog!"

The response to that was a mass cry of surprise before everyone started cheering loudly. Mikazo was gaping, remembering Pumbaa's rather poor attempts in the practice rounds of the vine-swing, but he quickly gathered himself and called out his congratulations, "Alright, Pumbaa!"

"Pumbaa, didn't know you had in you!" Kiara said happily. "Come on, tell us how you won!"

Pumbaa looked around self-consciously and mumbled something indistinct.

"What was that?" several voices called, overlapping slightly.

Pumbaa snorted awkwardly and scuffed a hoof along the ground in front of him without responding, but that wasn't a problem. At that moment, Timon got up and sprang onto Pumbaa's head.

"My friend is a little shy here about his accomplishments," Timon said, grinning gleefully and waving a hand down at Pumbaa. "See, it happened like this. He was running toward the water, hanging onto the vine and ready to swing, when he tripped. My buddy here went head over hooves, and one of his legs got tangled in the vine. He rolled straight over the lake with the vine holding him up and spun around so much I was getting dizzy just watching, let me tell you! And then the vine snapped and Pumbaa got flung through the air, flipping over and over, and somehow managed to splash down farther out over the lake than any other contestants had gone!"

Any response Pumbaa might have made was drowned out by the cheers and good-natured laughing and ribbing, all of which Pumbaa took graciously with a grin and a "Thanks, buddy!" to Timon.

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After the announcement ceremony, everyone, meerkats and Pride Landers alike, went to sleep for the night. Simba, Timon, Pumbaa and Nala made their sleeping pile once more, and everyone had a well earned rest.

When morning came it was time for the lions and their friends to say goodbye to Timon's meerkat colony and start their return trip to the Pride Lands.

Everyone was feeling disappointed that the fun was over for now, they'd all had a great time. They thanked their meerkat hosts for having them and agreed to visit again soon, which the Pride Landers did every now and then on top of their yearly festival of games and events. The meerkats were great hosts and their jungle was truly magical.

The Pride Landers never hosted the meerkats for events because the journey to the Pride Lands was too dangerous for the colony, and because there were predators everywhere beyond the borders of the jungle. Not all of them would avoid preying on the meerkats. It was better to be safe rather than sorry, so the Pride Landers only ever visited the meerkat colony. That was okay, they were always glad to make the journey. The lions and meerkats all enjoyed each other's company. They two groups had met because of the close friendship between Timon and Simba. They often saw each other, and so had formed many friendships among the two groups.

Mikazo realized that he would miss the meerkats now that they were returning to the Pride Lands. They'd had an incredible amount of fun with the meerkats since they'd arrived at the Hakuna Matata jungle, but it would be nice to get back to the Pride Lands.

He was also little surprised to realize that he missed the Pride Lands quite a bit, even though it had just been about three full days, counting the traveling time. Those lands were not his, weren't his home, but he had lived there for a little over a month now, and he'd become quite fond of that territory. And of course, its inhabitants felt in so many cases like his family now. He'd just have to visit frequently when he'd gotten his own pride and lands back, he supposed. After all, he couldn't just say a permanent goodbye to all of the lions in the Pride Lands when his own territory was only a day's walk away; that would just be ridiculous.

Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi said their farewells to the meerkats they had befriended, and then turned and followed Simba as he led the Pride Landers out of the Hakuna Matata jungle. Then they all started out across the desert back in the direction of the Pride Lands.


	25. Today and Tomorrow

**Hi folks! This one wrote itself, really. I hope you like this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write.**

After their return to the Pride Lands from the meerkats' jungle, the Pride Landers, Msafiri's pride, Mikazo, and Vonny, all took a day's rest. As much fun as the two days of events, competitions and games had been, Mikazo had to admit that they and the two trips through the desert had taken a lot out of him. The others seemed equally worn out, though quite happily so.

Msafiri, upon their return, reported that there had been no problems in the Pride Lands in their absence. Simba and Nala thanked him again for watching after the territory while they were gone. Msafiri was clearly happy to have his daughter back, greeting her with an enthusiastic nuzzle before asking how she had been and if she enjoyed herself. He listened attentively as Azizi bombarded him with the stories of her adventures in the jungle, with Daka often adding his own parts to the stories with enthusiasm, to Msafiri's apparent amusement.

One full day after they'd gotten back, Mikazo padded down into the Savannah from Pride Rock's cave, feeling the pelting rain splatter down on his back. He shivered as water slipped along his spine, raising chills in its wake, but tried to ignore it. He'd given up trying to shake himself dry days ago. In rain this constant, there was little point in that. Still, he didn't mind too much. With the rainy season, not only had the waterholes and rivers been replenished, but it was now obvious just what Kimada had meant when he'd said how beautiful the Pride Lands were in the rainy season.

Now that the rain water had had a chance to saturate the dried ground, plants all over the territory had not only begun to grow again, but had flourished. As Mikazo headed out into the Savannah, he looked around at the scenery. It was amazing how much the Pride Lands had been transformed in the short time since the rain had ended what had so nearly become a drought.

Though there were still a few areas where the grass had yet to grow back fully, those spots were few and far between. The grass was tall and thick already, and a bright, vibrant green. It brushed along Mikazo's stomach and sides, and often there were tufts of grass tall enough to run along the bottom of his muzzle. The trees scattered throughout the land had new sprouts of growth as well; and all around, Mikazo could smell the heady scent of growing green things. A profusion of flowers had reappeared all over the land, and in dozens of different colors and varieties. So many of them had died during the dry season, and the land had been noticeably drab for months. Now, however, they were back, and the lands were once again decorated with bright color.

Mikazo breathed in deeply, enjoying the cooler air in his lungs that came with the rainfall. Though it was very wet, at least it was no longer scorching. That was a massive relief to all of the animals of the Pride Lands, and no doubt those in the surrounding lands, as well.

With the start of the rainy season, there were also quite a few births. Though some of them had been born near the end of the dry season, many of the new animals in the Pride Lands were newborns, only a week or two old in many cases. The land was filled with the sound of young creatures' cries of excitement, surprise, eagerness and their laughter and they played and learned, watched over by their parents.

Not far from Pride Rock, Mikazo stood enjoying the beauty of life on the Savannah. He spotted an ostrich; an adult hen, walking through the grass. Behind her waddled over twenty clumsy little baby ostriches. Mikazo couldn't help but laugh as one of them, just learning to walk and so watching its feet instead of where it was going, walked straight into the sibling in front of it and stumbled back with a comically stunned expression. After a moment, it shook its head to gather itself and hurried off after its mother and siblings while its mother turned her head to make sure it had rejoined the group.

The gazelle herd that made its home some distance from Pride Rock, one of several gazelle herds in the Pride Lands, also had several new foals. They were young, gangly little gazelle with boundless energy and little grace. Mikazo had spent a part of the day before, the day he and the others had rested after their return from the jungle, just watching the gazelle foals play together. He'd made sure to stay out of sight in case the parents decided he intended to hunt the foals. That was not something Mikazo planned to do any time soon. He couldn't imagine preying on an animal that was still just a child.

There were many other newborn animals in the Pride Lands, and they, along with the new growth from the rainfall, gave the land a fresh, revitalized appearance. If he'd thought the lands were gorgeous before, that was nothing to how it looked now.

He wondered how his own lands were faring with the continued rainfall. He knew that it was helping with the near drought there as much as here, and that was a very good thing. At least his pride mates were in no danger from lack of water anymore, and of course they still had plenty of prey to hunt. The only problem was that Jinamizi was still their king, which was a pretty big downside, Mikazo knew.

There was a training session planned for that afternoon, and as it was still early morning, Mikazo was feeling restless. He wanted to get some training in, something to get him closer to the point where he could help his pride mates. He was worried about them, as always, and he wondered if anything new had happened in his territory since Vonny had visited there for the first time. That morning, just after they'd both gotten up, he'd asked the lemur if he could make a second trip tomorrow, to check on the lionesses and see if anything of interest had occurred. Voninahitra had promised to the make the journey and report back as quickly as he could, but as that was set for tomorrow, and not today, it only added to Mikazo's restlessness. Vonny was now off with Zazu, learning more of the ins and outs of being a Majordomo.

He had some time to kill before that afternoon's training session, and so he decided to go and find Kimada and Zawadi. That was his usual plan every day, anyway, of course, playing with those two. Since he'd awakened a little later than he usually did nowadays, his two friends had gone on ahead without him. He didn't mind that, since he could just go find them now. He couldn't really expect them to just sit around waiting for him to wake up while he was snoring away, after all. The important part was that when he did find them, he knew he'd be included without hesitation into their play.

Before Zawadi had arrived, he and Kimada had spent much of their time together ever since Mikazo had come to the Pride Lands. Now Zawadi seemed to be as much a part of their group as either of them. Mikazo was just fine with that. A trio was even better than a duo, in his opinion, and Zawadi was very good company. Even if she hadn't been, he could hardly begrudge Kimada spending so much time with her, given that she was his sister and they'd he'd been separated from each other for a year.

Besides, with three of them, there were plenty of games they could play that needed more than two players, and Mikazo found that his friends were endlessly inventive in coming up with new games. And aside from games, the three of them often just said around and talked, which was surprisingly enjoyable. Kimada and Zawadi both had a lot of stories to tell, like several cubhood adventures so wild, both together and after their separation, that Mikazo had to wonder how they'd even survived to the age they were now. While somewhat alarming in the more dangerous cases of adventures they had had back then, it was always amusing to hear. Mikazo was glad to know that he was more or less guaranteed to never be bored as long as he continued to hang around with those two.

He found Kimada and Zawadi near the part of the Pride Lands that was referred to as Five Stones, which was both an entirely appropriate and completely un-inventive name, given the fact that it was named after five large stones that were gathered in a circle in that part of the Savannah. It was some distance from Pride Rock, and fairly close to the edge of the border and the part of the Outlands where Kovu, his sister Vitani, and their evil mother Zira had lived before Zira's death and the Outsider pride's acceptance into the Pride Lands.

The brother and sister duo were apparently practicing stalking, judging by the evidence. Though both were already fairly fine hunters, it was never a bad idea to brush up on your hunting skills. In this case, however, their stalking seemed to be more of a game than serious training.

Mikazo watched with a grin as Kimada moved silently through the tall grass toward Zawadi, who was walking around nearby, playing the part of an unaware prey animal. Kimada abruptly threw himself from the cover and bundled Zawadi onto her side, causing the stalking game to deteriorate into an energetic play-fight instead.

"Hey, you guys!" Mikazo called as he approached.

"Mikazo, hey!" Kimada grinned. "So you're finally awa- whoa!" His sentence was cut off as Zawadi used his distraction to pull him down to the ground by his muzzle and flip him around so she was now on top. Undaunted and still swatting at Zawadi in an attempt to free himself, Kimada continued, "Finally awake, huh?"

"Says the lion who is more of an early bird than most birds I've met," Zawadi pointed out with a laugh.

"I take great pride in outdoing those lazy feathered slackers," Kimada said with as much dignity as one could manage while partially pinned to the ground. He gave a sudden and powerful thrust to her stomach with his hind paws, pushing her off, and then he quickly rolled onto his stomach. Zawadi skipped to the side, giving him space to stand, though she made sure to give his shoulder a swat as he did.

"Well, you're right, I am awake now," Mikazo confirmed with a grin. "Unless I'm sleep-walking and sleep-talking..."

"Happens to me all the time," Kimada said with a straight face, throwing in a solemn nod for good measure.

"You know, that explains a lot..." Zawadi said thoughtfully, before all three of them started laughing. Then Zawadi continued, "So, what do you want to do now, guys?"

Once they'd decided, the three of them spent the rest of the early morning playing a series of games and enjoying themselves. A short while before the training session was scheduled to start, they all took a break and rested at Pride Rock's base, watching the Savannah, and the animals milling, scampering, and traveling around on it. As much fun as he had playing with his friends, Mikazo had to admit that a break was needed before he could train well because playing games with Kimada and Zawadi was a sure-fire way to tire himself out for a bit.

Once it was time for the training session, Mikazo and his friends had regained all of their energy, and Mikazo was more than ready to put some proper work into honing his battle skills. He headed to the training field with Kimada, of course, and Zawadi, who had taken to both watching and joining in with the training sessions.

Already waiting for them were Simba and Nala. As they arrived, Simba explained that in this training session they would again be using the battle training plan that they'd tried once before. Mikazo would fight against Kimada, and the victor of that battle would immediately have a match with Nala, without having time to rest and recover from the first match. The last time, Kimada had won against Mikazo and had then fought and been promptly defeated by the Pride Lands queen.

Though they had all planned to continue using that training method for a bit, it had to be put aside when the jackals had attacked. So many of them had been injured in the fight with the jackal pack, Mikazo included, that they'd been unable to continue training. The flood later on that had reopened Mikazo's neck wound hadn't helped either, of course.

Now that they'd been free of setbacks for a while and their journey to the Hakuna Matata jungle was over, they were once again able to try out that training method. Now Simba and Nala were standing ready to put them to work. Mikazo hoped he was in as good shape as he felt himself to be. Otherwise, this could turn out to be highly embarrassing. As Simba explained, Mikazo would battle Kimada first, then the winner of that match would face the smugly grinning Nala.

Mikazo was both excited and nervous at the prospect of having a match with Nala, much like he had been the time before. She was, after all, widely considered to be one of the very best fighters in the Pride Lands' pride. Kimada, of course, would be having a rematch against Nala if he was the winner of this battle. Mikazo padded into the center of the training field with quick, wired steps and turned to face Kimada as he also paced onto the field, already dropping into a battle-ready crouch.

As always, it was a good match between the two of them. Kimada was a strong, energetic fighter, and the battle shifted in favor of one or the other frequently. Mikazo finally managed to win the battle with a combination of knocking Kimada's paws out from under him by swiping at his legs, and tackling him in the side. Kimada fell onto his side with a grunt, and Mikazo quickly pounced on his friend, rolling him onto his stomach and pinning him by the shoulders.

Once Simba had declared him the winner, Mikazo released Kimada and watched as he hurried from the battlefield to give Nala room. Then Mikazo turned to face the queen as she trotted over. He was feeling drained from his fight with Kimada, but he felt he had enough energy left to give this a good go. Nala was a good fighter and he knew that more than just energy would be needed to win this battle. He took a deep breath to brace himself as he crouched down, his muscles tense as he stood lightly on his paw tips, ready to jump in any direction at a moment's notice.

Nala wasted no time in leaping at him and slashing a paw toward his head, starting the second match, and Mikazo just barely dodged and retaliated. Mikazo had never faced Nala in a fight before, though he had seen her battling several times in these training sessions when they had been demonstrating moves for him to copy. He'd also seen her fight in the pinning competition that had been held in the jungle. It turned out that watching Nala in a fight was completely different from facing her in one.

She was larger than he was, of course, since he was not yet full grown. She towered over him by almost a fourth of his full length and height, and was physically stronger, as well. But the most impressive thing about her fighting was her skill and speed. Mikazo could barely dodge any of her attacks, and she landed blows often. When he managed to land an attack himself, it wasn't as effective as it could have been, thanks to her quick reactions. When he tackled her side, she rolled with it and sent him flying with a well-placed kick, essentially neutralizing the blow and and dazing him in the same moment. Though he managed to stand again and recover from the hit, he was very nearly knocked onto his side by her next blow, which he dodged so barely that he felt her paw brush his shoulder and he staggered, just managing to keep all four legs beneath him. He needed to learn to face an opponent as good as Nala because Jinamizi most certainly would be bigger and stronger than he was, as well. He'd also proven himself to be a formidable combatant. Mikazo redoubled his efforts.

He ducked under Nala's paw as she swiped at him again, and then lunged upward and sideways, catching the moving paw in his teeth as he reared up on his hind legs. He was careful not to bite down hard enough that he'd actually break through skin, but gripped tightly enough that he couldn't be immediately shaken off. As soon as he had her paw in his mouth, he whipped to the side, unbalancing her as he pulled on her foreleg, and then spun on his hind paws, yanking the larger lioness sideways through the leverage he'd gained with the spin. He released her paw as she stumbled to the side so that he wouldn't be jerked along with her.

Mikazo dropped back to all fours as Nala's balance gave way and she rolled to the ground not far from him; but before he could spring forward and attempt to pin her, she lashed out with a hind paw and knocked his own out from under him. Mikazo hit the ground, his jaw meeting the wet dirt with a splat. He struggled to stand again, but Nala had used that time to roll straight onto her paws.

He barely had time to jump out the way of her next attack, as her jaws snapped shut next to his ear. He realized belatedly that her bite had been a feint as her swiping paw connected with the other side of his head and sent him once again to the ground. Before he could have a chance to scramble upright, Nala landed on top of him and held him to the ground, pinning him and winning the match.

Nala let him go and stepped away, but Mikazo stayed on his side for a moment, panting and getting some feeling back into his legs, before he rolled to stand. His coat, like Nala's and like Kimada's from their earlier tussle, was completely soaked from the wet grass and the rain, and he could feel that splotches of mud and grass pieces were caught in it. He gave himself a rough shake once he was fully on his paws, then turned to Nala. "You are a really great fighter," he had to say.

Nala smiled. "Thanks, Mikazo. You did very well, yourself."

"Thanks... Still, I didn't win."

Kimada padded over. "Yeah, but let's face it, when I fought Nala weeks ago, I lost. And if I lost, you _know_ she's good!" Kimada grinned. "You did great, lasting as long as you did, and you'll get even better, ya know."

"My brother's right, actually," Zawadi said from where she stood nearby. "First time for everything, huh? You're not a half bad fighter, Mikazo, here and in the match against Kimada- and when you've fought against me, for that matter. I mean, it's not like I still don't win half the time..." She grinned and added, "Well, maybe I win a little over half. What do you think, a little over half?" Mikazo snorted and lifted his chin without responding, ignoring her teasing, and she finished, "But you're definitely a challenge to beat."

"Thanks, and so are you," Mikazo said, nodding. "Though I wouldn't say you win _over _half the time..."

"Agree to disagree," Zawadi said brightly. Then she looked at Nala again. "And Nala, you're just amazing."

"Thank you, that's quite a complement," Nala said with a wide smile, dipping her head slightly.

Just then, Simba came over, his head tilted at a cocky angle. "Yeah, she is, at that. Definitely. But I just think I have to point out this one little thing." He grinned widely. "..._I _beat her!" He looked so smug that every hair on his pelt was practically prickling with it.

In a flash, Nala had sprung through the air, tackled her mate to the ground, locked her forepaws onto his shoulders, and sent them both rolling. As she rolled onto her back, she shoved her hind paws into Simba's stomach and flipped him over her head, gripping onto him so she was carried through the air with him in the usual style of her signature move, spinning as they flew. When they landed, Simba fell back first with Nala landing on her hind paws and slamming him down in a pin with her forepaws.

Simba blinked up at Nala in mild shock at her sudden move, then groaned in resignation as he realized he was pinned.

"Only because you cheated and tickled me!" Nala said, with her muzzle an inch from Simba's and her eyes narrowed, but her expression playful. "And now who's pinned, Simba? I had to do this, for Kiara, you know. My daughter would have had to hang her head in shame if I lost my title of flipping champion. I couldn't let that happen, could I?" She smirked. "And besides, let's face it, you were just_ asking_ for it."

"Hmph," Simba scoffed. "I did not cheat! I saw an advantage and took it. After all, you've been ticklish under your forelegs since we were cubs! I should have thought of that ages ago." He paused, then said, "So, are you planning on letting me up any time soon?"

"Well..." Nala said thoughtfully. "No, I don't think so. Not until you admit that was cheating, and the title of flipping champion is still and will always be mine."

"Sorry, Nala, not gonna happen."

"Oh, that's alright, I can stay this way all day. It's not a problem." Keeping him pinned, she stared down at Simba with a satisfied expression as he wriggled in an attempt to roll onto his stomach and stand. Seconds passed without his being able to make any progress. All of his efforts were in vain, and Nala's smirk steadily widened.

"Alright, fine, you're the champion," Simba conceded with a sigh after a long moment. "But I was not cheating! And that's all you're gonna get out of me."

"Hmm..." Nala tilted her head. "Alright, I suppose that will have to do. _For now_." She stepped back and let Simba get to his paws. No sooner had he done so then he leapt at Nala, who laughed as he plowed into her side and they both fell to the ground in a tumbling play-fight.

Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi had dissolved into silent hysterics by this point. "They're like a couple of cubs!" Zawadi said quietly to the other two, chuckling.

"Like any of us are any more mature," Mikazo pointed out with a grin. "Would we do any different?"

"Not a chance," Kimada said instantly.

At that moment, Simba and Nala broke apart from their brief scuffle, both of them laughing. Standing, Simba turned to the others. "Sorry about that, guys," he said, grinning and sounding slightly breathless from exertion and laughter. "We couldn't help ourselves."

"Not in the least," Nala agreed, panting a bit but grinning as widely as Simba. "But we should probably continue with the training session now, I think, if you're ready, Mikazo."

"Yeah, I am," Mikazo agreed. Though his fight with Kimada and then Nala had certainly worn him out, he'd gotten his energy back as he'd laid watching Simba and Nala. He felt ready to continue, and more than willing to try to get better at fighting.

Perhaps he would never be able to defeat Nala, as great a fighter as she was, but he definitely needed to become strong enough to win against Jinamizi. He still needed to grow bigger, become at least a little closer to being an adult and heavier and stronger than he was now. Only then would he have a chance against the full-grown rogue who now ruled his pride.

With some hard training put in, he could become a better fighter, though he supposed he had no way of speeding up his growth. For that, he would just have to wait, but he was hoping that he would soon be able to defeat Jinamizi even if he wasn't full-grown yet. Surely he didn't have to be a full adult to be able to beat the tyrant rogue; a nearly adult who had trained extensively should be able to win, shouldn't he? At least, that was his hope, because he couldn't stand the thought of waiting many months or even a year more before he was a full adult to challenge Jinamizi.

There was also the fact that Tumaini was pregnant with Jinamizi's cub. Though Mikazo couldn't know how the cub would turn out, he was certain it would be better for it to not be raised under Jinamizi's reign. If nothing else, he wanted to be able to get his pride back from Jinamizi before Tumaini gave birth. Mikazo wasn't certain when that would be, given that he didn't know the exact day that the rogue had... forced himself on Tumaini, but he knew that at least three months usually passed before a lioness gave birth, and usually closer to three and a half months. His parents had explained the whole thing to him back when he'd turned about a year old, when he'd been curious enough to ask where cubs come from. The conversation had been fairly embarrassing for all involved, though Mikazo was sure mostly for him.

He supposed that, since he hadn't even been able to tell Tumaini was pregnant when he'd last seen her a little more than a week ago, that she'd looked as slim as she always had, that it could not be that far into her pregnancy. Perhaps not even half a month. That, at least, meant it would be some time before Tumaini gave birth to the rogue's cub.

He wondered what his pride mate and friend's child would turn out to be like, whether it would be a lion or a lioness, and whether it would inherent any of its father's traits. He hoped not, as evil as Jinamizi was. But he couldn't imagine any cub raised by Tumaini turning out to be anything but a good-hearted, kind lion. All the same, it would be best for everyone if Jinamizi was gone as soon as possible. And to that end, Mikazo needed to train.

So he did just that, spending the rest of the afternoon on the battlefield with Kimada, Zawadi, Simba, and Nala as they worked through the training plan.

By sun-high, Mikazo was thoroughly tired, muddy, and wet. They all were. As they usually did after a training session, Mikazo, his friends, and his mentors headed to the waterhole for a drink. Despite the rain soaking their coats, they were all very thirsty from their hard work. Once they'd all drunk their fill, the group started back for Pride Rock where they all planned to wait, some of them rather impatiently, for the hunters to return with the catch of the day.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

A brisk wind blew, sending rain pelting roughly into Tumaini's face for several seconds before the gust calmed. She shook her head sharply to scatter the droplets, blinked to clear her eyes, then looked up. She and her pride mates, Uzuri, Nuru, and Cheneta, were crouched low in the grass in the middle of a plain that was speckled with only a few scattered trees and bushes. They were in the middle of a hunt, stalking a herd of gazelle. To Tumaini's satisfaction, as much as the rain and occasionally driving wind obscured her vision, it also made it more difficult for the prey animals to become aware of approaching predators. It was late in the day, nearly evening, and that dimmer light reduced vision, as well.

She took a silent step forward as Uzuri broke off from their group to slip alongside the herd, slinking along the group's left flank. Cheneta stalked a few lion-lengths behind Uzuri, getting into position as they all kept a careful watch on the gazelle. It was a herd of about twenty members.

Their target was an older male, one whose golden pelt was streaked through with silver, and whose formerly bright white underbelly had dulled to a gray. The black stripe along his side was as dark as ever, and his horns were long, sharp and slightly curving. He was not an elderly gazelle yet, but was still past the prime of his life. They had chosen this particular gazelle for the reason that one of his eyes, his right one, was clearly glazed over. If he wasn't blind in that eye, he was very nearly so. Judging by the scarring along that side of his head, it was likely that his eye had been injured in either a fight with another male gazelle or in a close call with a predator. Either way, it made him a prime target for the hungry lionesses.

Tumaini froze along with her pride mates as one of the gazelle, a young female near the edge of the herd, suddenly lifted her head and looked around warily. Tumaini held her breath, hoping she would go back to grazing. Unfortunately, just as the gazelle began to relax her stance, the wind blew again, this time in the direction of the herd. It carried the hunters' scents toward their prey.

Instantly, the herd as a whole lifted their heads and looked toward where the lionesses crouched in hiding, then they dashed in the opposite direction. Growling in frustration, Tumaini lunged forward toward the herd. Uzuri, who had been closer to the gazelle when they'd caught their scents and spooked, had managed to close some of the distance between herself and their running prey. Cheneta was a few strides behind her, with Nuru and Tumaini herself bringing up the rear.

With a sudden turn and spring, Uzuri lunged into the herd, lashing out at the older male gazelle in an attempt to split it from its group. It whipped around her and with a bray of fear, and to Tumaini's horror, struck out with a sharp edged hoof that caught Uzuri in her jaw in the same instant as Cheneta leapt toward the target gazelle.

Uzuri didn't even have time to gasp in pain before she was sent sailing through the air. She landed roughly on the ground, rolled, and came to rest on her side, falling still.

"Uzuri!" Nuru called, even as Cheneta sprang through the air and landed on the gazelle's back, bringing it to the ground as its herd ran on ahead. With a vicious snarl, clearly angry, Cheneta grabbed the gazelle's neck in her jaws and wrenched her head to the side, killing it quickly and efficiently before it could try to regain its footing. Then she stood and turned toward Uzuri as Tumaini and Nuru ran to their downed pride mate's side.

"Ugh," Uzuri groaned, pulling her legs underneath herself and pushing slowly to her paws, her eyes clenched in pain. Nuru pressed her head against Uzuri's shoulder to support her, trying to help her up, while Tumaini crowded close, unsure what to do. Uzuri's eyes blinked open. She looked somewhat dazed, and there was a nasty looking slash on the side of her head where the gazelle's hoof had landed.

"Uzuri, are you hurt?" Cheneta asked in concern, hurrying over as well.

"No, no, I'm fine," Uzuri assured them, shaking her head and blinking rapidly. "Really, it only grazed me." She nudged Nuru's shoulder with her own in thanks, and then drew back to stand on her own paws without leaning on Nuru. "Good job catching it, Cheneta. If you hadn't, it would have escaped for certain." She shook her head once again, then raised a paw to brush at the wound left behind. It was thin but long, likely caused by the edge of the gazelle's hoof as it kicked at her, and spanned from near the end of her muzzle to just under her right eye.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tumaini asked pressingly. "A head wound like that..."

"Yes, don't worry. My vision isn't blurred, I'm not feeling dizzy. It just looks worse than it is." She smiled reassuringly, though it was partly a grimace as the motion pulled at the wound. She turned toward their prey with a flick of her tail.

Before any of them could start for the downed gazelle, however, they heard a new sound.

"Heh, and here I thought lionesses were supposed to be skilled hunters!" a jeering voice, rough and grating, called out from a distance, accompanied by high-pitched cackling laughter that made the fur on Tumaini's spine lift. All four lionesses spun around.

Approaching them at an easy lope was a group of perhaps thirty unkempt creatures with short spiky black manes along the back of their necks and shaggy tails of the same color. Their gray-to-brown coats were patterned with dark spots and their sloping backs made their gaits appear unwieldy, despite their speed. Their eyes ranged from deep amber to a bright yellow, but all of them were making the same low sound- a barking laugh.

Tumaini recognized them as hyenas.

Though she hadn't often seen them, she knew a clan hung around the outskirts of her territory, and sometimes they tried to sneak inside the borders to poach prey. The clan had mostly remained outside the borders during Hodari and Kawanja's reign, as both rulers had made it clear what would happen to any hyenas who attempted to poach from their land or on young lions. Now, though, it seemed the clan was ready to give trespassing another go.

Tumaini snarled at the hyenas and stalked forward, standing beside her pride mates as the animals neared them. Her growl was echoed by the other lionesses, and Nuru spat, "What are you thugs doing here?"

The hyena who had called out the taunt about Uzuri's hunting spoke again, clearly the same hyena from her identical voice, and judging from her position at the head of the group, the matriarch. "What do you _think_ we're doing here, brainiac? Such a well-fed gazelle really shouldn't be wasted feedin' a bunch of dumb lions, should it?" She scoffed. "Nah, it really belongs to me and my clan here, so we're just gonna take it."

She was among the very largest of her clan, sporting a muscular frame and broad shoulders that contrasted strongly with her more feminine face, a face accentuated with large, slightly rounded ears. Her pelt was dark gray with brown tints in areas, and spotted like all the other hyenas with dark black circles. Her bristly mane stuck up stiffly along her neck and partly down her back, the rough bristles only partly weighed down by the rain that ran off it in sheets. Her thick-furred tail looked ragged and tangled, and it was clear she didn't bother much with grooming. Her prominent, heavy jaw dropped open slightly as a sound that was half bark and half laugh escaped, revealing razor sharp fangs that glistened in the dull sunlight.

"Why don't cha do yourselves a favor and scurry off before we decide to make a meal of you, too?" a second hyena, this one also a female, suggested with a high-pitched whoop as she padded up next to her leader, her ears pricked high and her tail held out behind her, lifted and stiff.

"What?" Tumaini demanded as the other lionesses growled at the hyena's words. "This is our kill, you stinking degenerates! For that matter, this is our territory!" She snarled again, feeling her pelt bristle as it always did at the disgusting scent of hyenas. All lions had an instinctive dislike of hyenas, something that seemed to be very much mutual, judging by the scorn with which the clan leader and her followers regarded the four lionesses.

"You are more than capable of catching your own prey, and in your own territory," Uzuri said sharply. "None of you have any right to be here."

"Like you can keep us out?" the clan leader said with a laugh. "I don't know if you've noticed, kitty-cat, but you're just a bit outnumbered here."

By now the rest of her clan had spread out in a loose U shape around Tumaini, her friends, and the fallen gazelle. The lionesses backed away, their flanks brushing as they pressed close to one another. Tumaini cast a glance around at the beasts and listened to their low whooping cries while flattening her ears to her head in an attempt to block out the sounds. Now that she had a chance to count properly, she realized that there was thirty-six hyenas surrounding the four of them.

"Aw, come on, Chana, let's just kill 'em already!" a male hyena not far from the front called eagerly to his matriarch. "I'm hungry and even these lions are beginning to look tasty!"

"Only you would even consider eating something as gross as lion meat, Dhalimu!" the leader, apparently named Chana, said with a shake of her head. "Aside from cubs, of course. Those are such tender, juicy, little things, aren't they?" She stalked closer to the lionesses.

Tumaini shivered at Chana's words, feeling her stomach twist at the thought of a small cub being torn apart and fed upon by this clan of hunters and scavengers. If that had happened to Uzuri's little son, Jamili, his death would have been slow and painful, even more tragic than the fast death that Jinamizi had delivered to the cub. There was also another part of her, despite how unsure she still felt about the cub she had been forced to carry, that already felt a violent urge against any creature that would dare to threaten the new life that was growing inside her.

"But the adults are so tough, and stringy..." another hyena chipped in with an exaggerated shudder, waving a paw through the air and pulling a disgusted expression. "No thanks! But I have no problem with knockin' these lionesses off the top of the food-chain..."

"Oh, just try, why don't you?" Nuru growled. "We're not afraid of you fools." Nuru's tense pose and the alarm in her eyes belied the truth of her words. Tumaini could see how nervous she was, and she could hardly blame her. Her own heart was pounding.

"If this turns into a fight, we won't be the only ones with casualties," Uzuri warned the hyenas coldly.

"With this many of us?" Chana scoffed. "I don't think so. We might end up with a few injuries, but you four will all be dead."

Tumaini took another step back, scraping her claws through the soil and baring her teeth at the nearest hyena. Backing up as well, Cheneta asked in a low undertone, her voice shaking, "Uzuri, what should we do?"

The dark tan lioness' eyes scanned the ranks of cackling hyenas that stood ahead and to either side of them, then she glanced briefly at the fallen gazelle. She returned her gaze to Chana's, meeting the hyena's amused expression with a snarl.

"We run, Cheneta, that's what," Uzuri answered quietly, distaste lacing her tone. "A single gazelle isn't worth the risk."

"What was that?" Chana asked innocently. "I couldn't really hear that. Did you say you were going to run away?"

Uzuri's snarled so loudly that Tumaini nearly jumped in shock, unused to hearing such a sound from the normally composed lioness. "We are leaving because we're not fools enough to fight a battle we can't win," she corrected angrily. "This gazelle is yours, earned through petty thievery and cubbish bullying. You must be so proud..."

Chana laughed, the sound breaking off into a cackling bark. "Sure, that's what the loser always says, isn't it? Clever retorts to cover the embarrassment of the loss. But food is food, and as you said, this is ours now. And I have to say, running is a wise choice, my chew-toy friends. So beat it!"

Tumaini, Uzuri, Cheneta and Nuru started to back away steadily, keeping wary eyes on the hyenas that surrounded them on all sides. Then as soon as they were out of the center of the clan, they spun around and ran. Tumaini flinched as she felt one of the clan give a parting bite to her flank, and she put on an extra burst of speed.

Hearing Nuru let out a gasp, she glanced over, still running, to see a hyena with red-stained claws backing away from her now slightly limping pride mate. Tumaini and the others slowed to stay beside Nuru, who shook her head in response and sped back up to her full speed, her expression twisting as she strained her new injury.

Tumaini turned her ears backward to listen for sounds of pursuit, and left her breath out in relief as she heard no sounds of threat. The hyenas weren't following them. Soon the lionesses had put a good amount of distance between themselves and the site of the gazelle kill, and at the head of the group, Uzuri slowed to a stop. The other three did the same, and they all turned back to look in the direction from which they'd come.

The hyenas were visible across the field, a large mass of moving, shaggy, ungainly forms as they converged on the area of ground where the fallen gazelle lay, and started to feed on the lionesses' catch.

"How dare they..." Nuru growled, her fur bristling. She glared for a moment more at the clan, then turned with a grumble to lick at a deep slash wound near the base of her left hind leg, where the hyena had clawed her as they'd started to run.

Reminded of her own injury, Tumaini looked closely at her flank to assess the damage. Thankfully, the bite didn't seem to be too bad, but she knew she'd need to give it a good cleaning. Who knew what she could catch from a hyena bite... Making a face, she started to wash it.

"Are you two alright?" Uzuri asked them, her voice strained and her eyes flicking from the hyena clan to her two injured pride mates. They both answered in the affirmative, and Uzuri sighed. "Good, that's something to be glad for, at least."

Cheneta shook her head. "I'm the only one here not hurt in some way," she said sadly, looking from where Uzuri had been kicked by the gazelle to the marks Tumaini and Nuru had received from the hyenas. She growled quietly. "I can't believe that just happened. Those little _ticks_ just stole our food and attacked us!"

"Couldn't we have clawed at least a few of them?" Tumaini asked darkly.

"If we'd done that, the entire clan would have attacked, and you know how that would have turned out," Uzuri pointed out. "No, it wasn't worth the risk. I suppose we'll just have to catch something else, and figure out what, if anything, to do about the hyenas later. They will probably just eat this gazelle and go back to their own territory."

"I certainly hope so," Nuru said, frowning as she scanned her leg wound with a critical eye. "Hmm, I don't think the damage is too bad. Tumaini, Uzuri, let me take a look at you both."

They both stood still as Nuru checked over the wound on Tumaini's flank and the one on Uzuri's face, cleaning them with careful, gentle licks and checking each carefully. "You'll both be fine," she announced finally, backing away. "The bleeding will stop soon on its own, Tumaini, even without cobwebs to press against it. Uzuri, yours has all but stopped already. Thankfully, the hoof missed your eye. I wouldn't have liked needing to figure out how to heal that."

Uzuri snorted and nodded. "Yes, I quite agree. Thank you, Nuru, and at least none of us has any lasting damage. Well, aside from to our egos..." She sent a dark look toward the still feeding hyenas. "Come on, everyone. If you're all feeling up to it, especially you, Nuru, with that hurt leg, then we need to catch something else."

"I'll be fine, Uzuri," Nuru confirmed. "Let's just find some more prey."

The four lionesses headed off across the Savannah, leaving the hyena clan behind. "They'd better leave soon, if they know what's good for them," Tumaini muttered to herself. "Eating _our_ gazelle..."

Cheneta's ears flicked as she walked beside Tumaini, having caught her quiet words, and she said, "Yeah, I'm not foolish enough to want to face the whole clan in a battle, but I wouldn't mind facing them with more even numbers. Just to get a good hit or two in."

The other three nodded or made sounds of agreement, and then a few more moments passed as they walked in companionable silence.

"Jinamizi isn't going to be pleased when he hears about this," Nuru commented.

"No, he won't," Uzuri agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he blames us for running away and leaving the gazelle to those poachers."

Tumaini scoffed. "Oh, yeah. That stupid lion would probably have tried to take on all those hyenas alone..." She paused, and a slow smile grew on her muzzle at the thought. "Oh, that's a nice idea. They could have taken care of him for us..."

"One can dream," Cheneta agreed dryly.

With half-hearted chuckles, the four lionesses continued their search for another animal to hunt.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Five days after their stay in the Hakuna Matata jungle with Timon's colony, Simba was patrolling the western border of the Pride Lands alone. He intended to make make a full rotation of his territory before returning to Pride Rock, and he was only about a quarter done. He still had plenty of time, though. It was just after mid-day, though it was hard to tell with the clouds blocking the sun so efficiently. Still, it would not be night-fall for some time, yet.

He'd long since started teaching Kovu how to patrol the Pride Lands, and his son-in-law had preformed the duty alone quite often and done well with it. The two also frequently patrolled together.

Simba enjoyed spending time with Kovu and talking with him. Past incidents of ambushes set by evil lionesses were just that... the past. He knew now that Kovu had not led him into that ambush as he hadn't been aware of his mother, Zira's plan, to attack Simba then. He hadn't believed, back then, that Kovu was telling the truth when he'd said he had nothing to do with the ambush. All Simba had been able to see then was the lion marked as Scar's heir trying to carry on his uncle's legacy of violence and treachery. Even worse than that, he had believed that Kovu had used Kiara, that he had even pretended to be in love with Simba's daughter, in order to get close enough to Simba to kill him in such a way.

Of course, Kovu _had _been in love with Kiara, and still obviously was. At the time, though, Simba had felt such rage over the thought of any lion using his daughter like that, that he'd longed to kill Kovu himself. Instead, he'd settled on banishing him, a more lenient sentence then he'd thought Kovu deserved. The reason for that was in part because, though the law allowed executions for such crimes as attempting to kill the land's king, Simba had never been the sort of lion who was comfortable with such a thing. As furious as he'd been with Kovu, he'd thought banishment to be the only other possibility aside from killing him, and so that had been the only truly acceptable option. He'd also known how much killing Kovu would have hurt Kiara, and even though he hadn't believed that Kovu deserved Kiara's love then, it wouldn't have changed the fact that she did love the lion.

He had been wrong about Kovu, though perhaps not entirely, as betrayal and murder had been Kovu's original plan. But that plan had changed once Kovu had learned the truth about who his mother was, who Simba and Nala were, and just what Scar, the lion he had been raised to emulate, had been like. Falling for Kiara had had a part in Kovu's abandonment of his mother's plot, of course, as well as seeing how much better his life could be in the Pride Lands. Having fun and playing, as far as Simba had heard from Kovu's explanations, hadn't existed much in Kovu's cubhood. His mother had always insisted on training him, on teaching him how to be a cold-blooded killer so that one day he could kill Simba without hesitation. Thankfully, Zira's teachings had not been able to leech all of the good out of Kovu's soul, and he had been able to find the part of himself that had still been a kind, fun-loving cub again.

Simba was really glad that Kovu was part of their pride now. He had turned out to be more than trustworthy with Kiara's heart and, Simba was certain, would also prove to be so with the Pride Lands when the time came for Kovu and Kiara to rule as king and queen.

Kovu was shaping into a fine successor to the throne. He definitely had the spirit for it, as did Kiara, a fact that Simba hadn't doubted since the day his daughter had been born. They would both be wonderful leaders of this kingdom once Simba and Nala stepped down, though that would be some time away yet.

All that aside, Kovu was a quick learner when it came to the duties of a king, patrolling included, along with other things such as solving disputes between animals and keeping the peace. Today, though, Simba had decided to do the patrolling himself, in part because he just felt like it, and also because Daka had been too busy attacking Kovu's paws, tail, ears, and anything else he could reach to want to stop long enough for his father to join in the patrolling.

As he made the rounds, Simba stopped several times to speak with the animals who lived in his lands, including a cheetah with whom he was friends, and with a small family of Cape anteaters. It was a good way to keep up with the goings on in his lands, and sometimes he learned things that even Zazu had missed, though Zazu's morning report always proved to be useful. Well, usually, anyway. There had been that one time where the only thing he'd had to report was that the beetles seemed to be having a miniature war with the mantises... Well, at least there hadn't been that many casualties, as far as Zazu knew. Not that any of them could actually speak to the bugs.

He spotted a herd of zebra that lived near the gorge, which was close to the Pride Lands' western border. Simba knew the leader of this herd quite well, though he tried to avoid becoming friends with animals his pride was likely to hunt at some time, for obvious reasons. Still, he quite liked the leader of this zebra herd, a stallion who had a brave attitude when it came to problems, and was especially protective of his herd members. He stopped to chat with him, approaching the herd slowly and calling out to announce his presence and intentions so that the skittish prey animals wouldn't flee before he had a chance to check in with them.

To his delight, he found that his zebra friend, the leader of the herd, was a new father. He had a young female foal, his first ever child. She was a sweet little zebra who had yet to learn how to use her legs properly and tripped over herself quite a bit as her father called her and her mother over to talk with Simba, and in the case of the new-born, meet him for the first time. Though since zebras could walk and run well soon after their birth, perhaps her clumsiness was mostly due to her clearly excitable nature.

After he had spoken to them for a while, learning how things were going for the zebra herd, he said his goodbyes and continued on his patrol.

As he neared the end of the trek, circling the borders of the Pride Lands, Simba spotted a leonine figure sitting near the edge of river, close to the southern border. He stiffened for a brief moment, unable to fully make out the figure through the blurry rain, but then relaxed as he realized it was Msafiri. Curious of what the other king was doing sitting out here all by himself, Simba set off to join him.

Msafiri started in surprise as he heard Simba's approach, and turned his head to look over his shoulder at him. "Oh, hello, Simba," he said. "Are you on patrol?"

"Yeah, I am," Simba said with a nod. "Just about finished up. Everything's fine so far, nothing much going on." He padded over to Msafiri, looking at him closely as he realized that Msafiri looked preoccupied, and perhaps somewhat distressed. "Would you mind some company?" he asked.

"Of course not. Please, sit." Msafiri nodded to the spot next to him in welcome and Simba sat down.

"You seem a bit... distracted," Simba noted. "Is something wrong?"

Msafiri sighed and turned his gaze out over the border. "No, nothing's wrong." He paused and shook his head. "Well, perhaps that's not entirely true." He turned back to face Simba, his expression serious. "And there is something I need to speak with you about, Simba. First, I must thank you for allowing my pride and I to stay here in your lands, and for being so very hospitable to us. You have been a very gracious host, and for that, we're all grateful."

"You're welcome, and I'm glad to have you all. So is everyone else, for that matter. You've fit right into our strange group." Simba smiled.

Msafiri returned the smile, though it was small and fell from his muzzle quickly. "After Masa died... we needed somewhere to stay, to recover, and you gave us that. Azizi and I needed this most of all." He closed his eyes as a pained expression crossed his face. "Now, it has been just over three weeks since I lost her. That's hardly any time at all, and yet, it seems so long without Masa." He let out his breath raggedly. "I sometimes wake in the middle of the night, wondering why she isn't next to me. Why I can't feel the warmth of her fur or smell her scent or hear her steady breathing." His voice trembled as he continued, "And for a few brief moments, halfway between sleep and consciousness, I don't remember that she's gone. For a few moments, I just assume she has gone to the waterhole, or just out for some air, and that she'll be back shortly. And then I wake up completely, and remember."

"I am so sorry," Simba said, his voice barely audible above the wind and rain. His heart was twisting in his chest in sympathy. The pain in Msafiri's voice was palpable, and Simba shuddered to think how the loss of Masa must be affecting him. If he ever lost Nala... if she was the one of the two of them to go to the stars first, he didn't want to imagine how he would feel then. It could not be more clear how much Msafiri had loved his mate, and the loss of her was still very fresh.

Msafiri nodded in response to Simba's words. Seconds passed and then he turned his gaze back out over the border, toward the territories beyond. "The reason I brought this up, though, Simba, is because I think that soon my pride and I should go back to our own territory."

"So soon?" Simba asked, surprised and dismayed. "Of course, you're free to go if that's what you all want, but you haven't worn out your welcome, if that's the reason you think you should leave. Far from it, actually."

"No, that's not the reason," Msafiri assured him. "At least, not completely. I simply don't know what else there is to do except return to our old home." He sighed. "Here, I am a king without a kingdom." He paused briefly. "And yet, I don't know if being a king is even what I want anymore."

"What do you mean?" Simba said in surprise, blinking at Msafiri.

"I don't know if I want to rule a pride any longer," Msafiri explained quietly. "I suppose... it's that I'm just feeling my age, now. I am perhaps not old, not truly, but I feel every one of my seasons at the moment. And with Masa gone... I don't know if I want to be a king without my queen. Without Masa..." He blinked and looked up, and Simba saw that Msafiri's eyes were glistening with un-shed tears. "She was my mate, my best friend, my partner, my confidante, and so many other things too numerous to name.

"For so many years, we worked as a team. We made decisions together about anything that affected our pride or any of the animals who lived in our territory, always together. Even if we disagreed on the way to go about something, even if we argued, we always resolved it eventually. She challenged me and bolstered me in equal parts, and now she's gone. I don't doubt that I could lead the kingdom adequately without her, it wouldn't fall into shambles, but I simply don't know if I want to do so. It seems a very lonely path to walk now."

Simba nodded in understanding and looked down at the ground, knowing that there was really no response that could give Msafiri comfort just then.

After a moment, the disconsolate lion continued, "But I don't really have a choice in the matter. If Azizi was older, then she could take my place, but young as she is... I just don't know if being the ruler of a pride is something I can stand to do any longer, but until Azizi is an adult, I will have to." He paused, then said slowly, "I've been thinking about it, and perhaps, if my pride mates do not object, we could all go back to a life of wandering. Seeing the sights, and whatnot." Msafiri shook his head. "It is not my first choice, but I do not particularly want to go back to my home now. Those are the lands I grew up in, but they hold so many memories of times with Masa. And right now, I believe that would just be too painful."

Simba nodded again, watching Msafiri stare out at the plains. "I wish that there was something I could do to help you, Msafiri. That there had been more that we could have done to save Masa."

Msafiri shook his head and looked over at Simba. "The fact that you could not is not your fault, or the fault of your Shaman, the mandrill. Rafiki, isn't it?" Simba nodded, and Msafiri said, "I know that Rafiki did all he could. It was simply too late to save her. She had been sick for months, and whatever it was that was ailing her, an infection from when she gave birth to Azizi, or something else entirely, just became too much for her to fight against."

They lapsed into silence again, a heavy quiet marked by sadness. Several minutes passed before Simba spoke again, in a low tone, "It's your choice, of course, to go or stay. But I want you to know that you and your pride mates are more than welcome to make the Pride Lands your permanent home."

Msafiri looked up and over at him in clear surprise. "In my mind this has always been a temporary stop," he said. "I never thought about asking to make it permanent. I don't want to impose, but it is a very kind and generous offer. I've made wonderful friends here. The lands are not only beautiful, but the prey is plentiful. It's a very tempting thought to stay here." Msafiri paused, shifting in place as he considered. After a moment, he said quietly, "Could I ask for some time to think about it? Right now, I'm feeling so much grief that I'm not sure I could make such a life-changing decision without thinking it over for a while."

"Take all the time you need, and if there's anything I can do to help, let me know," Simba said, nodding. "And you won't be imposing at all if you do decide to stay."

"Thank you," Msafiri said gratefully.

A few more moments passed as Simba and Msafiri looked out over the border, watching the rainfall. Then Msafiri suddenly blinked and looked up, his expression startled as he realized something. "Oh, Simba, I've kept you from continuing on your patrol, and in weather like this." He jerked his head up to indicate the deluge being released from the clouds. "I am sorry for holding you up."

"No, it's fine," Simba said sincerely. "Really, I'm no less wet now than I would have been if I'd just stepped out of the cave and then right back in, as heavily as the rain is falling right now." He hesitated, then asked, "Really... what can I do to help? What part of the decision is weighing on you so heavily?"

"I don't know," Msafiri admitted. "It's more complicated than just what I want. One of the main things is Zawadi... I can't ask her to leave Kimada. He is her long-lost sibling, after all, and if anything is clear, it's that they'll want to stay together."

"If Zawadi wanted, she's welcome to become a Pride Lander, like I said," Simba said quietly. "I wouldn't want to split those two up either. Or... if you're not against the thought, then Kimada could join your pride. I don't want to see the back of that kid, but if it keeps him happy..."

Msafiri nodded. "I would be thrilled to have Kimada join us. He is a good, likable lion, and would certainly be an asset to us as both a hunter and a fighter, if the need for the latter should ever arise. And thank you for offering to take Zawadi in. We should speak to the two of them, of course, let them decide..."

"Yeah," Simba agreed. "And like I said earlier, your pride is more than welcome to stay in the Pride Lands. But if you really want to go, at least stay for the rest of the rainy season. You know how dangerous it can be, with the chance of flooding and the mudslides. And then there's the rockfalls, if the rain weakens the rocks on cliffs."

"The benefits of the rainy season far outweigh the downsides of it," Msafiri pointed out.

"Yeah, they do," Simba agreed. "But those downsides are still dangerous, and traveling can increase the risk. If you really must leave, at least go when it's dryer, warmer and safer."

Msafiri smiled. "Thank you, Simba. I can't imagine imposing on you for that long, but perhaps we'll stay a little longer, at least until I've sorted out my thoughts somewhat more."

"Good! Or maybe you'll stay permanently. Just remember that the option is open and you're more than welcome." Simba stood then and stretched his legs, feeling the mud caked between the toes on his paws. He grimaced and shook a fore-paw, trying to rid himself of some of the gunk, then put it back on the ground, causing the nearly liquified dirt to squish loudly. "I guess I had better continue on with my patrol. Would you like to come with me? If you want to stay here a bit longer, that's fine, too, of course."

"No, no," Msafiri said with a shake of his head, standing as well. "I've been here for the better part of the afternoon, and it's about time to return. I would be glad for your company on the way back."

Simba smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgment, and then the two kings started off along the border to finish the patrol.


	26. A Day in the Life

**Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it! The last few chapters have come out pretty quickly for once, and I'm hoping I can keep that up. I think I've found my groove again! Let's just hope I don't eat my words on that thought.**

Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi were gathered near the waterhole, with the morning sun just rising above the horizon. A misting rain fell, and Mikazo could tell that it would soon become a downpour as the day continued on. At the moment, the waterhole empty of most other animals aside from the three young lions and a small herd of impala on the far side. They'd gone to get a drink, and Mikazo lapped at the water half-heartedly, lost in thought.

Voninahitra had gone with them to grab some water himself, but had returned for Pride Rock not long after they'd arrived at the waterhole, saying apologetically that he had a Majordomo lesson planned with Zazu that he couldn't afford to be late for. Vonny had been quite busy over the last few days, what with his training with Zazu as well as his attempts to spend time with Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi. On top of that, Vonny had made two separate trips, as scheduled, to Mikazo's pride to find out what was going on.

Mikazo had been alarmed to hear Vonny's report, upon his return from the first of the two trips, that, though he hadn't seen any hyenas, Mikazo's pride mates had mentioned something about a confrontation they'd had with a hyena clan. From what Vonny could work out, judging by what he'd overheard, the hyenas had stolen some prey from the four lionesses, and they'd been forced to flee so they wouldn't get caught in a fight.

That certainly worried Mikazo, hyenas causing trouble in his lands and for his friends, but at least there was nothing new to report on Jinamizi's actions. Mikazo knew which clan had to be the one his pride mates had encountered, a clan that lived just outside the borders of his lands and that he'd heard his parents speaking of every now and then. There was almost always some amount of trouble between lions and hyenas, for many different prides and clans all across Africa, but Mikazo's main concern was the excuse for a king that his pride mates had to live under.

At least, according to what Vonny had overheard, the lionesses had thought that the hyena clan had likely left their territory after they'd fed on the stolen prey. Mikazo had growled when he'd learned that part of the story. What right did those hyenas have to take the prey his pride mates had worked hard to catch? All Mikazo could hope was that the clan would stick to their own lands now and wouldn't continue to cause trouble for his pride mates. The second trip Vonny had made to Mikazo's pride had been all but pointless, with absolutely nothing new turning up, including no new news on the hyena clan's actions. Mikazo supposed that was a good thing- no news was likely good news when it came to hyenas- but he still felt anxious about it.

Mikazo jerked back as a wave of water struck him in the face, drenching him from his whiskers to his chest and yanking him from his preoccupied thoughts. He whipped around to his right to see that Kimada was grinning widely, one paw still hanging, dripping, over the waterhole. It seemed that Kimada had decided to take advantage of the abundant water supply to start a water-fight.

Zawadi, standing at Mikazo's other side, had also been splashed, judging by her splutter. "Okay, Kimada, now you're gonna get it!" she announced, laughing, and Mikazo, who was standing in between the two siblings and was in the line of attack, felt his eyes widen in alarm.

Mikazo dove sideways and to the ground as Zawadi sprang; he ended up alongside Kimada as Zawadi plowed into her brother. Mikazo watched in amused disbelief as Kimada was unbalanced by the pounce and sent tumbling into the waterhole; but before he'd had time to fully register the massive splash caused by Kimada's fall, Zawadi's leap carried her straight into Mikazo.

The two of them rolled several times across the ground, before they landed flat on the grass. It was clear by Zawadi's surprised expression that she hadn't been aiming for Mikazo as well when she'd jumped at Kimada. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to go with it, Mikazo realized, as Zawadi grinned and raised a paw to swipe at him.

Mikazo ducked sideways to dodge and returned her swipe before tossing himself forward to tackle her. Zawadi leapt out of the way, and Mikazo landed next to her, where she had been standing a moment before.

Mikazo's paw slipped in the mud as he tried to regain his balance and he hit the ground, the breath exploding out of him. He started to scramble up but Zawadi slammed into his side, knocking him back down and sending them both tumbling across the ground. Mikazo battered at her stomach with his hind paws to try and free himself, and though she grunted at the blows, Zawadi sank her teeth into his mane fur, refusing to be tossed off.

He pressed his fore paws against her chest and shoved both hind paws against the ground as they rolled, flipping them over so she fell back first against the ground. Her hold weakened and Mikazo yanked free, leaping backward several feet from Zawadi and dropping instantly into a crouch, growling a playful challenge.

Zawadi rolled to her stomach and crouched opposite him, her tail lashing slowly. Mikazo launched himself through the air and she reared to meet him. They once again fell to the ground, Zawadi skidding along on the bottom, back first, as she struggled to send them into a roll. But this time, Mikazo managed to dig his hind paws into the ground and keep his fore paws on her shoulders, holding her down. Zawadi twisted but couldn't push him off, and she fell limp against the grass with a scoff, earning Mikazo the win.

Mikazo grinned down at Zawadi, feeling rather smug. She was a tough lioness to beat. Judging by the look she was giving him, she was not amused by his grin. Her eyes narrowed and she tried to hit one of his hind legs with a back paw, but was defeated by the way she was pinned.

"Okay, you lump of fur, you win," Zawadi grumbled, though despite her frustrated tone, a grin was tugging at her muzzle. "Off, already!" She pushed at him again and this time Mikazo let her shove him off and roll back into a sitting position.

Mikazo fell onto his side, laughing. "Lump of fur, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'd say you are," Zawadi said, standing up and now grinning widely. She was streaked with mud from their tumble, and she gave herself a shake, causing her reddish-gold coat to stick out in slicked together patches, splatted with clumpy mud. Mikazo stared at her new coat style and clenched his mouth tightly shut in an effort to keep from laughing. Zawadi didn't seem to notice his strained expression and she continued, "Not as fluffy as Kimada, but still..."

"I am not fluffy!" Kimada protested from where he sat nearby, his own fur thoroughly soaked and dripping heavily. He'd clearly pulled himself out of the waterhole, and it didn't seem he'd even attempted to shake the water from his fur. "My mane is thick and majestic, not fluffy!"

Zawadi snickered. "If you say so, Kimada."

"Well, at the moment, I'd say I'm more of a lump of _mud_ then anything else," Mikazo pointed out, looking over his own fur. Since his coat was mainly light brown, the mud was less obvious than it was on Zawadi's, but he could see that he was covered nearly from head to tail. "You, too, for that matter," he had to add to Zawadi.

"Hmm, guess so," Zawadi agreed, looking back at her pelt with faint amusement.

"Heh, I'm not muddy in the least!" Kimada said smugly, grinning widely. "Honestly, I almost feel a little left out."

"Well, I can fix that..." Zawadi said with a definitely threatening smile, standing and stalking toward her brother.

"Oh, bring it on!" Kimada said with a playful growl, and sprang to meet his sister's charge.

Mikazo watched with a grin as Kimada and Zawadi tumbled back and forth, growling and swiping energetically. While it was fun on his own to watch his friends play, he intended to get in on the game. They were certainly distracted enough not to notice his stalk... He waited for a chance, creeping forward slowly, then leapt on top of both of them, knocking all of them into a pile.

"Hello there, you three," Mikazo heard Msafiri's amused voice called. "You certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves."

They all broke apart, laughing, and greeted Msafiri, who, it seemed, had just come to the waterhole for his morning drink of water.

"So where's Azizi?" Zawadi asked as she started trying to remove the worst of the mud from her fur.

"She's playing with Daka, back at Pride Rock," Msafiri answered. "I must say I'm rather fond of that cub. He's a good friend for Azizi." He paused, and Mikazo noticed that Msafiri seemed a little hesitant. "I'm glad I came across you three so soon, though, because there's something I need to speak with you about."

Msafiri sat down and told Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi of how he was thinking about leaving soon, with his pride. Which, of course, included Zawadi. Though Msafiri mentioned that it was also possible that they would stay in the Pride Lands permanently, as Simba had offered that choice to them, he hadn't decided what to do yet. That meant that Kimada and Zawadi had a decision to make. They had to decide whether or not the two of them would go with Msafiri's pride or stay in the Pride Lands if it was decided that Msafiri's group would be leaving. He knew that the brother and sister would not want to be split up, and he made it very clear that Kimada was welcome to join his pride if that was what they decided.

"I don't know, Msafiri," Zawadi said quietly once Msafiri had finished explaining the situation to them. Her shoulders were slumped and her head was held low. "I mean, I knew that we weren't planning to stay here for good, that it was just for a bit, but I guess I'd put it out of my mind."

"Yeah," Kimada agreed in an unusually subdued voice. "I didn't think about it either. I mean, I had my sister back, I didn't want to be thinking that she might have to leave again at some point."

"I know," Msafiri said with a nod, his expression both apologetic and understanding. "And you certainly don't have to make your choice right away. In fact, if we do take Simba up on his offer to stay here for good, then you might not have to at all. But to be honest, I have no idea what to do. I have to decide myself whether we'll be staying or going, so you don't have to choose now."

Mikazo was staring between Msafiri, Kimada and Zawadi, his heart heavy. His two friends weren't the only ones who hadn't really considered the fact that Msafiri's pride wasn't planning to stay for good. If Msafiri did decide to leave, then not only would he be going, but Kimada and Zawadi might, as well. If they didn't choose to stay in the Pride Lands, then Mikazo realized he would lose not only Msafiri and Azizi, but Zawadi and even Kimada, too. If they left, would he ever see any of them again?

A few moments passed with all four of them sitting in glum silence.

Zawadi glanced between each of the other three, and then she said, "Well, on a lighter note, why don't you join us, Msafiri? We were just having a mass play-fight, and the more, the better, right?"

Mikazo smiled slightly, knowing that Zawadi was trying to cheer up the mood.

Msafiri chuckled. "I get it. You were having fun, and here I come along and spoil it." He smiled more widely. "Please, let me go in peace and continue on with your games. Perhaps I'll find out what Azizi and Daka are getting into." He paused for a moment, then said, "Please don't worry about it. It isn't time to make any decisions yet. I just wanted to remind you that we're all going to have to make some decisions soon and we should keep that in the back of our minds."

"Alright, thanks," Kimada agreed quietly.

Msafiri dipped his head, stood and turned to leave. Then as he was walking away, he called over his shoulder, "Oh, Kimada, in case you failed to notice, Mikazo's entire left flank is dry. You should do something about that."

Mikazo was staring after Msafiri's retreating form, his head low as he contemplated the king's news that could result in Mikazo having to say goodbye to Kimada, Zawadi, and Msafiri and the others as well. As a result, a few short moments passed before he registered the last part of what Msafiri had said.

"Hey!" Mikazo shouted indignantly. He turned to face Kimada as a wide grin grew on his friend's muzzle.

Mikazo gave an exaggerated swallow, but before he could move, Kimada sprang forward and slammed into him, tackling him backward toward the waterhole. Mikazo let out a yelp as he felt the ground disappear beneath his paws and splashed down in the water with Kimada next to him.

Mikazo burst out of the water, gasping for air through his laughter. Paddling in place, Mikazo shook his head hard, scattering the water droplets as Kimada laughed uproariously next to him. Kimada leapt back out of the waterhole and Mikazo followed, leaving puddles in their wake.

Still gasping slightly from his unexpected dunking, Mikazo watched as Kimada started strutting around with a smug air, clearly proud of himself. Mikazo heard a fond scoff next to his ear and looked over to see Zawadi watching Kimada with a smirk. Zawadi glanced over at Mikazo, met his eyes, and they exchanged a nod before leaping at the same time and landing on Kimada.

Once again, the three of them went down in a tumbling, laughing pile of fur, tails, and legs.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Azizi frowned at Daka in confusion and slight irritation as the smaller, mahogany-furred cub scraped a paw through the dirt, his expression sullen. The two of them had been having such fun a short while ago, splashing in the puddles and loving the rain and the first ever rainy season of their lives, and then for some reason, Daka had started acting as if he was angry with her.

"Come on, Daka, you're being silly!" Azizi huffed. "What does it matter if zebras are white with black stripes or black with white?"

"Because it does!" Daka shot her a look, his bright red-brown eyes narrowed in a glare. "They're all stripy, but what color are the stripes?"

"How did we even get into-" Azizi broke off, frustrated. "Daka, all I said was that I think they're black with white stripes!"

"But they're so much whiter," Daka retorted. "Their bellies and everything are white!"

"Yeah, but not on all of them," Azizi pointed out. "Just some. A lot of them have black on their bellies. And besides, I don't think bothering that zebra colt with the question was really safe. I mean, his mother looked a little angry..."

"Aw, that's nothing!" Daka scoffed, sitting down and lifting his chin high. "I'm prince of the Pride Lands! What was she gonna do, stomp on me?"

"I think she was thinking about it..."

"She was not!" Daka turned his glare onto the ground. "And anyway, what do you know about zebras either way? You're the one who's silly!"

"I am not!" Azizi snapped.

"Are too!" Daka lashed his tail. "You're silly and you think you're the best at everything!"

Azizi paused, blinking. She cocked her head at Daka, irritated but suddenly realizing something. "Daka, you're being mean, you know. And this isn't about the zebras, at all, is it? Not their stripes, or that colt's mother." Daka glared at her without speaking and Azizi nodded firmly. "Yeah, I am right! You're just upset because my roar was a little louder than yours, aren't you?"

Daka shot to his paws, his ears pressed back and his muzzle wrinkled. "Well, it's not fair!" he snapped. "Your roar shouldn't be louder than mine!"

Azizi frowned, biting back a growl of frustration. "Why not? I am older than you are by a couple of months."

"I know, but still..." Daka's tone dropped to a more normal level as he returned his gaze to the ground, looking more morose than anything else. "I should have a better roar!" He scoffed quietly. "I'm gonna be the king of the Pride Lands someday, Azizi. My roar has to be louder than anyone else's, or how can I scare off bad animals, like those stupid jackals... If my roar isn't loudest, then I'm gonna be laughed at by every bad animal I try to scare away! It's just not right!"

Azizi sat down, feeling most of her irritation leave at the sight of her friend's sad face. "Daka..." she said with a sigh. "Your roar will get a lot louder, you know. The only reason mine is louder than yours is because I'm older." She paused. "I asked my dad about roars once, because I was curious, and he told me that our roars are louder when we're grown-ups and not cubs, and that lions' roars are louder than lionesses' roars."

Daka looked up, his ears pricking in surprise. "Really?" He frowned. "But Mom's roar is so loud. I don't know if Dad's is louder..."

"It probably is, just a little," Azizi said thoughtfully. "My dad said that it's not that big a difference. And anyway, when you're all grown up, Daka, even though we're a few months apart, it won't matter at all then. Your roar will be louder than mine, and you'll be able to scare off jackals and hyenas, and even crocodiles, I'll bet!"

Daka smiled. "You really think so, Azizi?" He waved his tail in the air above his head and gave a little hop on his paws, his eyes lighting up in excitement. "I really hope so!" He froze suddenly and his expression fell. "Uh, right..." He stepped toward her, his shoulders hunched and his head tilted in an apologetic way. "I'm sorry, Azizi, I was being mean," he said quietly. "You're not silly... and you don't think you're the best at everything."

Azizi grinned happily. "Thanks, and it's okay, Daka." She paused, then, unable to resist, added, "And I don't think I'm the best at everything, you're right. I know I am!"

Daka laughed and swatted at her. "Sure, you are!" He dropped into a crouch and growled quietly. "When I'm big, nothing will stick around when I roar! They'll all run screaming! Just you watch, if any enemies try to attack my pride, I'll show 'em!" He growled again and swatted at the air as Azizi grinned, and then he said, "And you can help, if you want! I'll save some of the smaller crocodiles for you to chase off."

Azizi laughed. "That sounds like fun! But how about I take the big ones and you take on the small ones?"

"Uh uh, no way!" Daka scoffed. "The little ones would be way too easy for a big strong king!"

"All right, your majesty, see if you can beat me!" Azizi taunted playfully, crouching low. "The winner fights the big crocodiles. Bet ya _can't_ beat me!"

"Can too! Grrrrr-_rrah!"_ Daka roared as he pounced at the larger cub, laughing as they tumbled around, batting at each other with fore and hind paws and tugging on ears and tails alike.

Nearby, and without either cub having seen him, Msafiri lay with his head on his paws, watching his daughter play with a fond smile. They'd notice him eventually, he knew, but for now, he'd just watch the two cubs have fun.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

"Well, so much for them leaving," Cheneta muttered darkly as she, Tumaini, Nuru and Uzuri watched the clan of spotted hyenas, led by their matriarch Chana, pad boldly across their lands.

It was nearly twilight, and the hunched shapes of the clan members stood out in stark black against the lighter backdrop of gray sky shot through with dim purple. They were not even attempting to hide the evidence of their trespassing. The sounds of the clan, barking, yipping, and the chilling sound of their cackling growls, filled the air. Tumaini snarled in rage as she watched the hyenas brush deliberately against the grass and any bushes they passed, trying to leave as much of their scents as they could. They were throwing their presence right in the pride's faces with their actions.

Any prey animals that had been nearby had fled the area when they caught sight and sound of the clan, so this part of their lands was empty of anyone but the hyenas, the lionesses, and a few birds that were perched in the trees or watching the hyenas as they flew in circles overhead. Tumaini supposed that the birds were just as wary of the hyena clan as all the other animals were, but they at least were high out of reach from the clan and could watch their actions without fear.

The four lionesses that made up Tumaini's group had just been lounging beneath a baobab tree, gladly taking the shelter it offered from the pounding rain. The tree was a massive one, with thick branches that draped down and criss-crossed each other until, combined with its abundance in leaves, hardly any gaps could be found. Though it was still much wetter than their cave would be, Jinamizi was currently occupying the cave, staying out of the rain himself. The lionesses all decided they'd rather be a little damp out here than have to deal with being in the cave with their king. Here at least, they had their peace and enjoyment of each others' company without the vexation of Jinamizi's presence.

They'd been laying here for a few hours, resting and talking together. The lush grass provided a comfortable surface for them to rest on, having grown thick from the rainfall, and Tumaini had nearly found herself drifting off to sleep several times, lulled by the softness and the warmth of her pride mates' coats and the murmured conversation.

Their cozy rest and chat had been interrupted, however, when the four of them saw and heard Chana's clan moving through their territory as boldly as if they'd marked every pawstep of it as their own.

"What are they planning now, to steal some other prey animal from us?" Tumaini asked furiously, the fur on her shoulders bristling in agitation as she watched the mangy scavengers travel. "Uzuri, what do we do?"

"As much as they outnumber us, they can't go on in our lands like this unchallenged," Uzuri decided. "We'll have to fetch Jinamizi, unfortunately, and just hope that this doesn't end in bloodshed." She grimaced. "Either because the clan refuses to leave without a fight or because Jinamizi decides to start one himself."

Nuru sighed, her tail lashing slowly as she turned in the direction of their cave. "Alright, I'll go get him." She glanced warily at the hyena clan, which was now milling around a spot in the Savannah some distance away that they all knew held a small waterhole, little more than a puddle. Perhaps they were stopping for a drink before they continued on with their blatant trespassing. "You guys keep an eye on them, okay? And be careful."

"You don't have to worry about that," Cheneta said with a faint smile. "Haven't you learned by now? I'm an expert on careful."

As Nuru nodded and briefly returned the smile before slipping off quickly toward their home, Tumaini couldn't resist saying, "If you're such an expect on being careful, Cheneta, then what was that a few days ago when the clan took our prey, when you wanted to 'get a good hit or two in'?"

"Brief moment of insanity brought on by the overwhelmingly pungent smell of the clan," Cheneta answered promptly, with a completely straight expression.

"Understandable," Tumaini said, turning her gaze back to the hyenas, who remained unaware of their lion observers.

Tumaini felt her muzzle pull back in a snarl as Chana, near the center of the clan, snapped her jaws at one of her clan mates, what seemed to be a low-ranking male who had tried to get a drink of water ahead of her. Her head was held high, her muzzle was clenched shut, and her bristly mane stuck straight up as she approached her now cowering clan mate with tight steps. Letting loose with a loud, low-pitched bark, Chana grabbed the other hyena's neck in her teeth and yanked sideways, wrenching him to the ground and causing him to yelp in pain.

With a growl, Chana thrust her muzzle an inch from the fallen hyena's, one fore paw pressing down on his shoulder in a clear assertion of her dominance. The hyena whimpered, and Tumaini pressed her ears back as he let out a high-pitched whoop of apology. He pressed his head against the ground, tucked his tail underneath his stomach, and twisted himself so that his neck was bared to Chana in submission. With a final snort of irritation that Tumaini could see even if she was too far away to hear, Chana stepped back from her clan mate and returned to the puddle to drink, and the confrontation was dropped.

Tumaini shook her head in disapproval, wondering how Chana could treat a member of her own clan so harshly for something so small. The male hyena who had been chastised slowly rolled to his stomach but stayed laying, his head low and his eyes on his clan leader as he waited for her to finish drinking before, it seemed, he even dared to stand.

"Chana's a pleasant one," Uzuri said dryly, voicing Tumaini's thoughts. "I can't exactly bring myself to feel sympathy for a hyena, at least one from that clan, but even so..."

Tumaini, Uzuri, and Cheneta watched in relative silence as the hyena clan left the small gathering of water and seemed about to start a hunt, judging by what words they could make out among the clan from this distance. As they were planning and before they could set off, however, Tumaini turned at the sound of a snarl to see Jinamizi stalking toward the clan with Nuru pacing along behind him, an anxious expression on her face.

The clan whipped around as one at Jinamizi's growl as Tumaini and her two pride mates sprang from cover and hurried over to join Jinamizi and Nuru. Tumaini fell into step beside the light-furred lioness, and the five of them approached the clan, four of them cautiously, Jinamizi with stiff, stalking movements. Tumaini could see that their king was angry, with muscles bunching tightly underneath his dark tawny pelt and a low growl rumbling from between his bared teeth.

Tumaini sighed. She didn't think this was likely to end well.

"Hey, Chana, look who it is!" one of the male hyenas called out, whisking his tail up over his back with a series of high, fast whoops. "King Carrion Brain!"

"Heh, at least carrion has a use," Chana retorted. "Can't say the same for this guy's brain."

Tumaini blinked, finding herself in agreement with a hyena for the first time in her life. It was an odd feeling.

"Now," Chana continued, stepping toward Jinamizi and the lionesses with her clan flanking her, "what can I do ya for, kingy?"

"Watch your tongue when you speak to me!" Jinamizi snarled, rage evident in every inch of his body, from his blazing eyes to his lashing tail. "These are my lands, and if you do not leave, I will tear each and every one of you to scraps of fur and bone!"

Chana tutted and shook her head, her amber eyes glinting as she smirked. "My, the rumors about your temper haven't been exaggerated, after all. And as for this being your land and us leaving..." She hummed and cocked her head. "Well, don't you think you'd need to be able to back that threat of yours up?"

Jinamizi crouched down, ready to pounce on the clan leader. "What makes you think I won't?"

She scoffed. "Well, I'm sure you'd be stupid enough to try," she admitted. "But stupidity isn't somethin' to brag about, buddy. As I pointed out to your lady friends last time, we outnumber you."

"You didn't try this hard to invade our territory before," Tumaini pointed out sharply. "Where's the sudden bravado come from?"

"Well, my clan grew a bit in recent months," Chana said with a shrug. "By about ten members; a passing clan we let join because we could always use some more paws to take down prey. And idiotic lions. And then there's the fact that at least Hodari and Kawanja weren't entirely dumb. But I'm not so sure about this guy, to be honest..."

Tumaini braced herself, knowing that Chana had just gone one step too far. With a roar, Jinamizi lunged through the air, his massive form landing just in front of the clan leader, whose quick jump backward had saved her from being pounced on directly. Snarling, Jinamizi lashed out with a paw, his claws just missing Chana as she dove to the side. Tumaini swore she saw the sharp tips slice through Chana's stiff-furred mane.

Even as Chana dodged the rogue's attack, her clan mates come to her assistance with a barrage of barks and growls, tossing themselves toward Jinamizi. Tumaini's pelt bristled as she watched the first hyena to reach Jinamizi get swatted away so hard he flipped through the air and fell, yowling, into one of his clan mates. The second managed to tear a chunk of fur from Jinamizi's fore leg, causing him to draw back with another vicious snarl before biting at the offending hyena's head, just barely missing her eyes and catching an ear between his teeth.

The hyena only had time to yelp in pain and rear back in an attempt to free herself before five more hyenas sprang on top of Jinamizi, quickly followed by perhaps fifteen more, all of them shrieking and cackling as they tore at the dark king. That was too many for any lion to handle alone, even one as vicious and bloodthirsty as Jinamizi.

Tumaini exchanged a look with her pride mates, unsure what to do. None of them thought that it was possible for them to win in a fight against this many hyenas, and aside from that, not one of them was particularly inclined to help Jinamizi.

Finally, as Jinamizi had a chunk of fur torn from his throat by Chana and let out a roar of pain, while the hyenas barked and snarled in the way only their species could, Tumaini's instincts kicked in and overrode her personal feelings. As much as she hated Jinamizi, she couldn't stand by and watch hyenas, of all creatures, maul a lion to death, no matter who that lion was.

Hyenas were the enemy of every lion, including Jinamizi. And as long as they were Jinamizi's enemies as much as they were the lionesses' foes, then Tumaini supposed, just this once, they could come to Jinamizi's aid. She honestly couldn't say that she hated Jinamizi less than she did the hyenas- in fact, she despised the rogue far more in a personal and deeply set loathing- but at least he was her own species. Though he was a truly poor excuse for a lion, he was still a lion who was now being attacked by hyenas, the hunter of cubs and skulking, vicious scavengers. She knew all too well how hyenas killed and ate their prey, often starting to feed while the prey was still alive, and she couldn't stomach seeing that happen, even to this rogue.

The others shared her thoughts, it seemed, as even before Tumaini could do more then tense to jump, Uzuri growled and sprang with the other two following at her paws.

With slashing claws and snapping teeth, the four lionesses threw themselves into the fray. With a slight twinge of regret, Tumaini grabbed a hyena's back in her jaws and wrenched him off of Jinamizi's chest, tossing him away, before swiping at the neck of another hyena. The hyena, a female with a ragged gray pelt, ducked the attack and lunged upward, clamping her teeth around Tumaini's bottom jaw and yanking back. Tumaini hissed in pain and tried to retaliate, but her attack was aborted as a third and then forth hyena sprang onto her back and side, bringing her to the ground and ripping great patches of fur from her pelt.

With her eyes clenched in pain, Tumaini lashed out blindly, her claws catching what she realized by feel was a hyena's chest. She swiped it off of her even as another hyena snapped dangerously close to her throat.

She heard a leonine snarl over the sound of the hyenas barking, and two of the hyenas were knocked away from her, thanks to Nuru's tackle. Kicking the third hyena away from her, and then slashing at the forth, Tumaini scrambled back to her feet. She glanced around quickly in time to see Uzuri tossing a hyena through the air by its neck, and Cheneta struggling under the assault of five other hyenas. Chana and maybe ten others had ganged up on Jinamizi. Nuru, who had rescued Tumaini from her situation, was now grappling with yet more of Chana's clan, her deep growl all but drowned out by the hyenas' barking laughter and fast, low-pitched whoops.

Jinamizi's claws swiped along a hyena's head, and then he snapped his teeth shut on the throat of another, giving it a vicious shake before tossing the badly wounded hyena to the ground. In a flash, before he could try to kill the injured hyena, many more hyenas leapt at him, and Jinamizi was forced to back away, slashing defensively. Uzuri fell onto her back as six hyenas lunged at her in a wave, and Tumaini sprang to her pride mate's side, roaring in anger.

As the battle raged on, Tumaini lost focus of anything but slashing and biting, swiping, clawing, and snarling as she ducked and dodged and tried to avoid falling under the sheer numbers of the clan. She weaved around two hyenas and threw herself at a third, feeling a forth's teeth meet in her flank and dropping to the ground to roll away. She'd barely staggered back to her paws when Cheneta slammed into Tumaini's side as she herself stumbled under the weight of three hyenas, a snarl tearing from the dark-furred lioness' throat as she fought to stay standing. Tumaini tried to leap to Cheneta's aid but was tackled to the ground by two more hyenas and she was forced to fight against them, leaving her pride mate to battle alone.

Her pelt was soaked with blood, both her own and that of the hyenas. She was sure some belonged to her pride mates, too. Her wounds burned like fire and her head swam from the pain, but if she stopped fighting, she would be overwhelmed in an instant. Her body ached from the effort it took to continue clawing and biting in spite of her injuries, and she had her ears pinned flat, trying not to hear the bloodcurdling caterwauling and shrieking of the attacking hyenas, punctuated by the growls and roars of her friends and Jinamizi.

Just when she thought that she and her pride mates, and even Jinamizi, could hold out no longer, Chana let out a cry that rose above the clamor of battle, a cry that her clan mates heard and responded to. Immediately, the hyenas began to break off in their attack, dodging the still attacking lions and backing away with Chana. Soon enough, the clan of thirty-six hyenas were gathered in a loose circle around the panting lions, silence falling over the battlefield aside from low, rattling growls coming from all quarters.

"Well, gotta admit, you put up a fight," Chana said with a growl. Her sides rose and fell quickly, and even from where she stood some distance away, Tumaini could see the hyena matriarch's fur was slicked nearly flat in places from her wounds, the wet patches glinting in the half light of the setting sun. One place on her shoulder had been completely bared of fur, and she had several nasty scratches along the side of her head, one stretching in a thick band under one of her eyes. Many of her c;an mates had injuries as well, some of them so severe that the injured individuals seemed to be struggling to remain standing. "Pretty impressive for a bunch of little kittens."

Jinamizi snarled and took a pace forward, then gasped and nearly fell as he put weight on his severely mauled foreleg. Tumaini and the other lionesses were badly hurt as well, she knew, but she couldn't take the time to assess the exact extent of the damage with the hyenas surrounding them as they were.

"Now, really, you want more, Jinamizi?" Chana said in apparent disbelief. "Do you have a death wish or something? It's not enough I all but took your tail off at one point? You know, I'd be glad to continue this fight, and you can be certain that every last one of you lions would be dead once we were done. But some of my clan seem to be a bit too injured to easily continue, and I don't care to risk losing some of the less dumb of my friends here. So, if it's all the same to you, we'll just have to cut this little meeting of ours short."

"You're seriously going to leave?" Cheneta said in shock.

"Why, would you like us to stay a bit longer?" one hyena, relatively unharmed aside from a few shallow slashes along his side, asked with a cackle.

Cheneta stiffed and clenched her jaw firmly shut, refusing to answer.

Jinamizi growled again and, despite his injuries and the overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, leapt with great effort at Chana in one last attempt to kill the clan leader.

Chana sprang out of the way, and as Jinamizi landed roughly and stumbled, roaring in pain as he put extra strain on his injuries, Chana dealt him a terrible blow along his side. Jinamizi's roar became something closer to a screech as Chana's teeth sank into his flank, and with a last jerk of her head, which caused Jinamizi's screech to choke off into a breathless rasp, Chana stepped back and allowed the injured lion to fall limply to the ground.

"Man, you really are an idiot!" Chana said, shaking her head and swiping her tongue along her stained muzzle. She let out a grunting laugh-like bark that escalated into an amused whoop. Several of her clan mates gathered closer to her as Jinamizi glared up at Chana with a pained snarl. Chana didn't seem concerned, and Tumaini supposed that she had good reason. Jinamizi seemed too stunned by the severity of the latest wound to do anything but lay there for the moment. "Anyway, now that you've gone and got yourself hurt this badly, my clan and I will be off for home now," Chana continued casually. "Like I said, fighting you and your lionesses has taken just a small toll on my friends, and better safe then sorry, right? Though I suppose, with your brains, you don't quite get the idea of that concept, do you, king cat?" She laughed and turned away, limping slightly, her tail flipping in a corkscrewing circle over her back as she started off. "See you ladies later," she called to the stunned lionesses. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon enough. After all, you've got some pretty good animals here, ripe for the eatin', and we're not ones to pass up something like that."

With that, Chana and her clan of hyenas started off in the direction of the closest border, ready to leave the lions' territory for the moment. Many of them were injured to some degree, and some of them quite extensively, but much less so than the lions they'd just fought.

If nothing else, Tumaini supposed their fight had kept the hyenas from heading off on that hunt they had been planning. As she glanced around at her pride mates, however, Tumaini had to wonder if it'd been worth it. Each of the other three were badly hurt, with deep wounds covering much of their bodies, and Nuru was swaying in place as though at any moment she might collapse. Uzuri was breathing shallowly, and Tumaini could see a horrid looking claw mark crossing her chest. Cheneta had sunk down onto her haunches and had her eyes closed. Her worst wound, though she had many bad ones, was a deep bite along the shoulder of her right foreleg.

Tumaini, her energy drained nearly completely by exhaustion and pain, laid down with a gasp. It felt like not one inch of her body had been spared, and she could swear even her fur ached. One of her claws had been wrenched, and though it wasn't torn out and would heal, she knew her paw would hurt for days if not weeks. She could feel a gash along her neck, and one of her hind legs hurt so badly she almost thought it had been yanked from its socket. She noted though, that her underbelly had been mostly spared from injury, aside from a few fairly shallow bite and scratch marks. At least that meant that the cub still forming inside was likely just fine, and she felt a rush of relief at that thought. She still didn't know what she felt for the unborn cub yet, but she did know she didn't want it to die.

But as badly as each of them had been attacked, as far as she could tell, none of her wounds, or those of her pride mates', were fatal. That was a relief, at the very least.

Through bleary eyes, she looked over at Jinamizi, knowing he had received the worst beating of any of them, both in the moments before they had begun to help him, and in his last foolish solo attack on Chana. Her eyes widened in shock, even so, as she saw the wounds marking Jinamizi's hide. As much as she hated this lion, his injuries were terrible to see. His pelt was covered so utterly in blood that its tawny coloring could barely be made out, and large chunks of fur were missing all along his form. One part of his tail, close to the base, had been stripped nearly down to the bone, and the wound on his side, the last mark left by Chana, was deep and wide.

Jinamizi was conscious, his eyes glinting under half-closed lids, but he was breathing heavily, his breath making a slight wheeze as it passed through his throat. To Tumaini's shock, despite his clear pain, she could hear a low angry growl coming from the king, his anger deep enough that even though it must have hurt to growl, he was doing so steadily. With obvious effort, Jinamizi pulled himself up until he was sitting, glaring after the retreating forms of Chana's clan with hatred etched in every line of his face.

"Is everyone alright?" Uzuri asked weakly. "I suppose that's a fairly stupid question, given the circumstances, but..."

"I don't think I'm about to pass out, at least," Cheneta said with a sigh, hunched over with her head hanging. "...Hope not, anyway."

Tumaini and Nuru added their assertions that they would be okay, though Nuru commented that she needed to get to work on healing all of them. She seemed to think that it would take some doing to get all of their wounds patched up, a thought Tumaini had to agree with.

Jinamizi didn't respond to Uzuri's question, not that any of them had really expected him to. He was still glaring after the clan, though by now they had vanished from sight. Finally, he turned his furious gaze on the lionesses. "Just what do you think you four were doing, standing out of the battle?" he growled, his muzzle curled back to expose his teeth.

"Uh, I don't know if you've noticed, Jinamizi, but it's kind of obvious we _didn't_ stay of the battle!" Tumaini snapped. "Or did you miss the great big bite and scratch marks we've all got?" She knew exactly what he was referring to, the few seconds at the beginning of the fight where neither she nor her pride mates had done anything to help. But she was hardly going to address that. They had helped in the end, hadn't they?

"Not at first," Jinamizi snarled, pushing himself to his paws and staggering as he did. "You traitorous lionesses took your time making yourselves useful, didn't you?"

"What, are you saying you needed our help?" Nuru asked coldly. "Maybe we thought you could handle it on your own. Isn't that what you think?"

"Shut up, you useless pile of maggots!" Jinamizi spat, shocking the lionesses slightly. "Whether or not I needed your help is not the point. The fact is that as my lionesses, you were meant to help without question! I am your king, your purpose is to serve me!"

"Serve you? Our purpose?" Tumaini scoffed indignantly. "What is it with you? Just because you're king doesn't mean you're the only one with any worth! We risked our necks saving your sorry hide, you pathetic fool!"

With a growl, Jinamizi moved toward Tumaini with clear difficulty but with speed born of anger. Though Tumaini saw the rage in his eyes, she couldn't back away, both because her pride would not allow it and because she was too tired to stand back up just yet. She let out a gasp as his paw struck the side of her head in a dazing blow, knocking her onto her side with new claw marks blazing along her cheek.

"Jinamizi, don't!" Uzuri cried, shock and anger in her voice. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Get away from her!" Nuru spat, while Cheneta growled, her hackles bristling.

"I'm tired of each of you lionesses disrespecting me!" Jinamizi snarled. "You're a useless, pointless bunch! And you, Tumaini, the only reason you are not dead right now for speaking to me as you continue time and time again to do is because you are carrying my cub. You should be honored beyond belief for that. And I promise you that if you do not start treating me the way a king deserves, the instant the cub is old enough to go without your care, I will kill you."

Tumaini met his eyes from where she lay on her side, too stunned by pain and shock to try to stand. His dark red-brown eyes blazed into hers, filled with anger and hatred, and his teeth were bared. There was no indication that his words were an empty threat, and knowing this lion and what he was capable of, murdering Hodari and Kawanja when their deaths had not been necessary for him to claim the throne, and killing Jamili, a little cub, she couldn't imagine that he would hesitate to kill her.

"I have no doubt you would," Tumaini said quietly. "But I'm not going to fawn over and bow to a lion like you just because you made me pregnant against my will and threaten my life now." She closed her eyes with a sigh, letting her head fall back against the ground. "Feel free to carry out your threat once the cub's born and old enough, but don't ever expect me to bow to you, Jinamizi. I will never treat you as though you're a better lion than you really are."

Jinamizi snarled, a long, low sound. "Stupid lioness," he spat quietly, his tone both furious and derisive. "Your life is not worth the prey and air you waste to continue living." He turned his glare on the other three, who were all staring at Jinamizi and Tumaini with a mixture of shock, horror, and worry. "None of you are!" He growled and dug his claws into the ground, then turned and walked several paces away to flop down on the ground, clearly exhausted even though he was simmering in anger.

Tumaini's pride mates gathered around her slowly, their movements made difficult by their wounds. "Are you okay, Tumaini?" Nuru asked quietly, trying to speak lowly enough that Jinamizi would not hear, in case it angered him further.

"I'll be fine," Tumaini answered with another sigh, weakly lifting a paw to the new wounds on her cheek.

"How dare he strike you?" Uzuri growled quietly.

"Are you surprised he did?" Tumaini asked, her voice nearly a monotone.

"No. No, I'm not." Uzuri shook her head and looked over at their king with a clenched jaw. "But how I wish I could kill him for all he's done..." She looked back at Tumaini. "The things he's done to you alone, Tumaini, are unforgivable."

"True," Tumaini sighed. "But it doesn't change the fact we're stuck with him."

A few moments passed, and Cheneta laid down next to Tumaini, resting her head on her fore paws with a defeated expression.

"I'll... I'll go and get what herbs I need to start treating us all," Nuru said in a voice that was raised to include the rogue. "All of you, start cleaning as many of your wounds as well as you can, and I'll be back soon."

"Nuru, you're hurt, too," Uzuri pointed out. "You shouldn't move too much just yet."

"Well, no one else around here knows as much about herbs as I do," Nuru said, straightening in a transparent effort to appear healthier than she felt, obviously wanting to put Uzuri's mind at ease. "And anyway, we're all hurt, so it's not as though any of you would be better off gathering herbs than I would. I'll be fine, Uzuri, don't worry." She turned to head off into the Savannah to gather healing supplies, limping with every step. "I'll be back as quickly as I can manage," she promised over her shoulder. "Stay safe."

"We will," Cheneta sighed, watching as Tumaini pushed herself slowly back into a sitting position and gazed after Nuru wearily until her friend was out of sight. Uzuri, Cheneta and Tumaini sat close together as they cleaned their wounds, while some distance away, Jinamizi began to wash his own injuries, a low growl occasionally escaping his muzzle. The rain still fell heavily, and it had washed most of the blood away on its own, but it was still a good idea to clean all of their injuries carefully to avoid the risk of infection.

Tumaini lifted her head and looked in the direction the hyenas had headed, wondering if Chana's clan had reached the edge of her territory and left it yet. She knew that the trouble with these hyenas was far from over. She just didn't know what could be done about them. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. Didn't she and her pride mates have enough to be worrying about with Jinamizi as their king? They didn't need this problem on top of that.

Nuru would be back quickly, she knew. Despite her friend's injuries, she knew that Nuru would be pushing herself to hurry, desperate as she would be to come back and start to make them all well again. Tumaini and the others would recover from these wounds soon enough. But she doubted that some of the wounds Jinamizi had inflicted on all of them would ever fully heal.

As night fell completely over the lands Tumaini used to consider a paradise, she started to clean her injured cheek.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo was laying under Pride Rock's promontory with Kimada and Zawadi. The three of them had decided to use the huge stone structure for a bit of cover from the rain since none of them were quite ready to go into the cave and sleep just yet. It was early night, and most of the Pride Lands' diurnal animals had gone to sleep. The nighttime sky was largely blocked from view by rain clouds, apart from the far horizon, where a deep blue, almost black was visible along with a swath of stars. Mikazo wondered briefly how the Great Kings of the Past kept an eye on everything during the rainy season. If they were the stars, how did they see what was going on through all the rain clouds?

Many of the pride's lions, along with Timon, Pumbaa, and Vonny, were inside the cave by now, though a few were out taking a late night walk. Mikazo watched with scant attention as two of the lionesses returned from a stop at the waterhole, both of them yawning widely. Soon enough, Mikazo and his friends were the only lions still awake in the Pride Lands.

The mood between the three young lions was fairly dismal, the darker spirits brought on by their talk about the choice that Kimada and Zawadi had to make. They had spent the better part of the day playing and training and trying to ignore the thought of the whole thing. But now that the day was winding down, they'd decided they'd better talk about it and try to at least begin to come to a decision.

Mikazo was staying mostly silent as he listened to the siblings talk, knowing that this choice was far more theirs to make than it was his. Of course he would be affected by it, because if they did decide to go with Msafiri's pride, if Msafiri's pride decided to leave at all, that was, then Mikazo would lose both of his friends. That thought was incredibly painful, and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to start begging them to stay in Pride Lands, to take that option, so they would stay near him.

"I don't like the thought of never seeing Msafiri, Azizi, Vema and Suluhu again," Zawadi admitted quietly. "I mean, Msafiri and Masa practically raised me, and so did Vema and Suluhu, when they found me after we got separated, Kimada. They're like family, and the idea of leaving them... I don't know."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Kimada agreed. "I feel the same way about the Pride Landers. They took me in, too, you know? But there's no way I'm not going wherever you go, 'Wadi. Now that I've got you back, you're stuck with me for life."

Zawadi chuckled weakly. "Good to know. Wouldn't want to lose my crazy brother, now would I?" She sighed. "It's hard to decide whether to stay here or leave with Msafiri and the rest of my pride, but you're right, whatever choice we make, we have to stick together."

"Msafiri might decide to stay after all," Mikazo pointed out hopefully, laying on his stomach with his head on his paws. "If he does, neither of you have to lose your pride mates, right?"

"Yeah, that's true!" Kimada said with a twinge of his usual brightness. "I'm gonna be hoping for that, for sure."

"But in case he doesn't, we do need to decide," Zawadi said reluctantly. She paused. "I suppose this is hardly uncommon, though, to have to leave your old pride. I mean, lots of lions do, and start new prides, right? This isn't so different, one of us joining the other's pride."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, there," Kimada agreed. "Doesn't make it any more fun to have to choose, though..." He frowned, clearly bothered, and looked over at Mikazo. "And what about you, Mikazo? You're my best friend, I don't want to leave you behind at all."

Mikazo smiled. "Thanks, Kimada, and believe me, it's mutual. But Zawadi's your sister, and that outranks best friend in importance, doesn't it?"

Kimada looked at the ground, shaking his head slightly without answering, his shoulders heaving as he sighed heavily.

"Not entirely," Zawadi said quietly, responding to the rhetorical question in her brother's place. "I mean, I know how important you are to my brother, Mikazo. And I have to admit, you've grown on me, too." She smirked half-heartedly. "Just a bit."

Mikazo laughed briefly. "Thanks, I think."

"I don't want the three of us to be split up at all," Kimada complained. "I mean, come on! If I go with Msafiri's pride, Zawadi, then I'll be saying goodbye to Simba's pride and everyone in it, and to Mikazo, too! And if you stay here, you'll be losing _your_ pride mates, and that's just not fair." He let out a strained grumble. "What are we supposed to do about that?"

"I agree, this stinks," Zawadi huffed with a mixture of frustration and sadness, flicking her tail along the ground.

A few more minutes passed, during which they exchanged few words, and when they did talk, it was in subdued tones. Then, by unspoken mutual agreement, the three young lions got up together and headed into the cave to sleep. Tonight, they opted to find a spot they could share together, and Mikazo curled into a ball with his chin resting on Kimada's back and with Zawadi's shoulder pressed against his side. The three of them felt a need tonight to not be separated just yet.

With a yawn, Mikazo closed his eyes and tried to push the whole matter from his mind.


	27. But it's Tradition

**Hi everyone! So far so good on the updating schedule. I'm surprised, but I can't seem to stop writing lately. I just wanted to mention that I'm not doing this for the reviews, however, I do find myself checking frequently to see if I've received any. I always get so excited when I see someone has left one. I think it's just that I need to know you're out there reading this, and if you are, whether you're are enjoying my story. So if you've read the chapter, please consider dropping me a note and letting me know what you think. It would mean a lot to me.**

Daka slowly stalked forward, all of his focus solely on the figure ahead of him, a figure that had no knowledge of his silent approach. With the careful, measured pace of a master hunter, the prince of the Pride Lands moved forward, ready to strike and bring down the massive prey animal. No lion had ever managed to bring down an animal of this size alone before, but Daka had no doubt he would be the first. And this was not because he had an ego, no; it was because he was just that good and he knew it. That was different. After all, no one doubted his hunting skills. He was hailed from all the lands as the greatest hunter ever to live, and it was now that he would truly live up to the title.

With one more quiet step, Daka drew himself into the perfect position to attack. His prey still had no idea he was there. Tensing his body and drawing in a deep breath to brace himself for the coming struggle, Daka held still for the space of an instant. Then suddenly he pounced, his mighty form flying through the air, his claws outstretched and a roar loud and powerful enough to make even the fiercest animals tremble in fear exploding from his muzzle.

His target shrieked in panic as he landed on top of it, realizing who its attacker was and so knowing that its end was close-at-hand. And Daka showed no mercy. This prey was needed for his pride, and nothing would stop him from bringing it in! With a snarl, he bit down-

"Ah! No, no, get off!" Kiara shouted, dropping to the ground with a thump. "Oh, it's too late... This one's too strong to fight. At least my end came at the paws of one so mighty and noble as you, Prince Daka."

With a drawn out groan, Kiara let her head fall to the ground and her tongue loll out of her mouth.

Daka grinned, releasing his mother's scruff, which he had been biting. He straightened proudly while standing on her shoulders. "I did it! The victory is mine! It was long and hard, but in the end, I won!" The little mahogany cub let out a roar of victory, his somewhat high-pitched growl startling some nearby birds.

"Oh, not quite yet," a voice behind him corrected, and Daka spun around, still standing on Kiara's shoulders, to see his father Kovu approaching through the grass in a low stalk. "I guess you forgot, mighty prince, but there are two of us!"

Daka stood tall and fearless. "I'll take on as many of you as I need to! You'll never defeat me, no matter how big you are! You're still prey!"

"Prove it, then!"

Daka lunged at his father, growling, and Kovu went down in a tumble. Soon enough, Daka stood victorious once again. After all, he was the most skillful hunter ever to live, as everyone knew to be true all throughout the lands of Africa.

After their game of Mighty Hunter ended, the family of three lay in the grass, breathing hard as several minutes passed and they recovered from their game. Despite the heat warming his body from his vigorous play, Daka shivered slightly in the rain, and he shook himself hard. "So what can we play now?" he asked eagerly, ignoring the mild uncomfortableness of the cold and jumping behind his father to tug at his tail.

"Well, we're going to have to go on a hunt soon," Kiara said apologetically. "You know that really big one we have planned, right? Most of the pride has to go on it, and your father and I are supposed to be heading out pretty soon."

"Aw, I forgot," Daka said sadly. "Can't you stay and play at least a little longer?"

Kovu ducked his head to lick Daka's ear. "Sorry, but we really can't. But the hunt won't take too long, and once we get back, we can play all you want, alright?"

"Okay, I guess," Daka sighed. He thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll play with Azizi while you're gone," he said, perking up slightly. "She can't go either, right? I bet she'll be really bored, too, if I don't go and find her!"

Kiara laughed. "I'm sure you're right," she agreed. "I know I'd be bored stiff if I had to stay behind and had no one to play with!" She stood, and then so did Kovu. "We'll go now, Daka, and be back soon, okay?"

"Okay," Daka said with a nod. He waved his tail in the air and crouched slightly. "You're gonna get the prey, right? It won't get away?"

"You can count on it!" Kovu guaranteed with a grin. "After all, my son's the greatest hunter to ever live! We both gotta try to keep up with you, don't we?"

"Yeah!" Daka laughed.

Kiara crouched low to pull her cub against her cheek, giving him a nuzzle. "See you later in the morning, Daka, have fun with Azizi. And be sure not to bother the elder lionesses too much, okay? A few of them said they were going to take a nap today, so they probably won't want you playing with them right now."

"Okay, we'll play outside," Daka promised. "But Great Grandma Sarabi and Great Grandma Sarafina will want to play with me, won't they?"

"Always," Kiara agreed. "But don't go and tell them that you count them among the elders, I don't think they'd appreciate that!" She chuckled. "But a few of the other lionesses will be resting, so it'll be good if you play outside for now."

"I will!" Daka gave a little hop as his mother stepped back and his father leaned down to give him a quick nuzzle as well. With somewhat hasty farewells, as the hunting party was gathered at the bottom of Pride Rock and seemed ready to leave, and were apparently waiting on the two future rulers, Kiara and Kovu hurried off to join the hunt.

Daka sighed as he looked after his parents, momentarily sad as their play time ended for now. But then he set off to find his other play-mate, Azizi, and see what they could get into today.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo was crouching low in the grass beside several lionesses from Simba's pride, including Kudura and Mwezi, and Vema of Msafiri's pride. They were stalking a wildebeest herd, a massive group that was milling around near the center of the Pride Lands' territory, grazing on the tall stalks of bright green grass. The vast numbers of the herd was always astonishing to see, and it made it difficult to pick out any one target. Still, at least there was no danger of this source of prey running out any time soon.

Mikazo took a slow step forward, feeling his sides brush against the grass, and early morning dew sprinkled down onto his pelt. Mikazo tensed and tried to resist the urge to shake the water off as a shiver went down his spine, knowing if he did, he'd rustle the grass and alert their intended prey.

Also in their hunting group was Kiara, though she had given Kudura the position of lead huntress on this particular hunt. Kovu slunk close to the ground, moving in utter silence. Vitani was there as well, sneaking along through the grass with Kukimbia at her side, both lionesses barely visible through the tall stalks.

The hunters totaled seventeen lions, a fairly large group, considering their pride was currently housing a little over twenty. They'd split into four smaller groups, separated in order to stalk the herd from different sides. Two of the groups would attack the wildebeest herd from either side, with a plan to split the herd. Once that was done, the second and third groups would attack from behind, one on the far left of the back of the herd, the other on the far right. The hope was that, with this method, they could split the massive herd into a smaller group, and then halve it yet again. With a herd as large as those wildebeest commonly lived in, a plan liked this was useful.

Once the herd had been split in that manner, all four groups of lions would join back together to try and take down their chosen prey; a pair of elderly wildebeest near the back of the herd, but still deep enough in that they needed to separate them from the herd before they could strike.

Mikazo flinched slightly as a fork of lightning tore across the sky, followed by the rolling roar of thunder, far louder than any lion's roar could match. His whiskers trembled as the rumble shook the air, and he dug his claws into the ground. The rain was falling in thick, blinding sheets, and Mikazo's fur was plastered to his sides. Though the rainy season had just begun, and had brought much abundance for the land and the animals who lived there, Mikazo was starting to see the downsides of it. Not only did it greatly decrease visibility, but the rain was cold; bitingly cold.

Mikazo held back a sigh, though it was highly doubtful that any wildebeest would have been able to hear that small sound over the noise of the rain. Best not to tempt fate, though, especially on a hunt as crucial as this. It had been nearly a week since Simba's pride had had a large meal, and though they had all fed on small catches in that time, all of them were craving a larger fare.

Moving forward a careful step, he lifted his head slightly above the grass to try and track the wildebeest herd. As the pride closed in on their oblivious prey, the first party of hunters lunged from the left side with snarls and growls, attacking that side of the herd and sending them into a panic. A split second later, the second group struck the other side, not aiming for any animal in particular, but working to separate their prey. Mikazo caught sight of Kimada lunging through the herd along the right side, growling an impressively loud threat as he tried to cut in between two masses of the herd.

Kudura leapt in from the other side, the lead huntress letting out a snarl that almost made Mikazo draw back in alarm. It was particularly effective on the wildebeest, and many of them dove away from the lioness, one of them making the spin so quickly that it was tilted nearly completely sideways for a moment, its hooves scrambling desperately for purchase. Kiara attacked from the other side, cutting in between seven wildebeest and sending them all scattering as she swiped with a fore paw and snapped her jaws. Kovu lunged along a short distance beside her, clawing at the wildebeest Kiara had scattered and parting their groups further.

Then, as the herd was split in half thanks to the efforts of the first two groups of lions, it was time for the third and forth to make their moves. Mikazo sprang forward with Kukimbia a step ahead of him. Vema's side brushed his as the swift grayish-brown lioness threw herself past him and into the herd, a snarl rumbling in her chest. Letting out a roar of his own, Mikazo leapt into the center of a group of wildebeest, lashing out at them and trying not to choke on the bits of torn grass their hooves kicked up.

Mikazo ducked with a panicked gasp as a wildebeest's horn nearly caught his side, its wicked point glinting in the dim light, and he leapt to the side instinctively to get out of range. His sideways leap carried him into another wildebeest, the thick, musky scent of it overpowering as his muzzle slammed into its fur, and it was only with effort that he managed not to go down with the prey animal as it stumbled and fell briefly.

Letting out a low, the fallen wildebeest thrust itself back up before Mikazo could take the chance to pounce and raced off after the other fleeing prey. Mikazo decided not to give chase, recognizing that that wildebeest was not one of the two older ones who were their intended targets, but rather a young, healthy adult who would be too risky to bring down with its dangerous horns and hooves.

Whirling, blinking the water from his eyes, Mikazo sprang forward as he saw one of the elderly wildebeest, and, leaping in between her and her herd, snarled and swiped in an attempt to drive her back toward the other lions. Nyota jumped in from the other side to help, cutting off the wildebeest's escape route, and, faced with both of them, the wildebeest turned and tried to run only to plow right into the path of Vema and Vitani. In a few seconds, the four lions had brought the elderly female to the ground and killed her quickly.

Raising his head, panting heavily, Mikazo glanced around to see the rest of the wildebeest herd fleeing the scene. Not far from them, many of the other hunters were gathered around the second older wildebeest, which lay sprawled limply on the ground, having managed to catch that one as well. The herd, still several hundred members strong, had galloped away to the far side of the field, and didn't show much sign of stopping any time soon.

"Well, that went well," Kiara said happily, standing among the group who had taken down the other wildebeest. Zawadi stood a short distance away from the Pride Lands' princess, her sides rising and falling quickly as she tried to get her breath back.

"Yes, it did," Kudura agreed, huffing air out in a quiet snort as she sat down to rest. The powerfully-built, golden-brown lioness' fur was ruffled in places despite the heavy rain, and Mikazo supposed that she, too, must have brushed against a wildebeest or two during their attack. "As always, great teamwork everyone! It's never easy targeting a herd this large."

"This oughta be enough to feed everybody in the pride," Nyota said, pleased. She flicked her tail, her normally extremely pale coat darkened quite a bit by the drenching rain. "And wildebeest is one of my favorite kinds of prey."

"Mine, too!" Kimada announced brightly.

"Hmm, Kimada, I think it's safe to say nearly every kind of prey is your favorite, as long as it's edible," Vitani said with a smirk. She had been part of the first group of attacking hunters, working alongside Kudura and several other lionesses.

"Eh, fair enough." Kimada shrugged. "Though not any kind of lizards; they make me nauseous."

"Uh, but what about that iguana you ate a while back?" Mikazo questioned, tilting his head.

"Special case. Looked tasty, kinda was... But gave me hiccups."

"Okay, then."

"Alright, on that note, let's get these back home," Kiara said with a laugh, dropping her head to grip one of the wildebeest's horns. Through her mouthful, and as several others gripped various parts of their prey to start carrying it, she said, "Ready? One, two, three... pull!"

Shortly after that, the group of hunters managed to pull both fallen wildebeest back to Pride Rock, and then the pride as a whole had an early morning feast. Mikazo tucked in hungrily, eating from a haunch of the wildebeest alongside Kimada and Zawadi. Not far away, Msafiri was tugging small bits off of the other wildebeest's side and dropping them in front of Azizi, who scarfed them down with obvious enthusiasm. Only after he had supplied his daughter with a sufficient pile of stripped meat did Msafiri start to feed himself.

Mikazo returned his gaze to his meal with a quiet sigh. It had been four days since Msafiri had brought up the fact that Kimada and Zawadi had a choice to make about whether they would be staying here in the Pride Lands or going with Msafiri's pride, if indeed Msafiri's pride was leaving at all. And neither sibling had settled on a plan yet. The decision was a difficult one for all concerned, and for several reasons. There was at least a bit more time to decide, since Msafiri had yet to make a decision himself. That was a good thing, Mikazo thought. At least the deadline wasn't looming imminently, not just yet. At least he had time to prepare himself for the possibility of them all leaving, and to have a while to spend as much time with them now as he could.

He didn't want to have to say goodbye to his friends. Mikazo wasn't sure he could take losing more of the lions who were important to him, not so soon after his parents had been murdered. Of course, if he did have to say goodbye to Kimada, Zawadi, and the others, at least they would still be alive and he would know they were together and happy, but that didn't mean he wouldn't miss them. He knew he would miss them terribly.

In the time he'd known Kimada, he'd come to care for Kimada as deeply as he would a brother, as he would a litter-mate who'd been born and raised alongside him. Kimada was his family now, and he couldn't imagine losing him. They played together every day, they joked together and laughed together and worked together when there was something to work through; they hunted together, and helped each other through problems, such as how Mikazo felt about being separated from his pride. Kimada was always there when Mikazo needed to talk, or even when he just needed someone to chat with to get his mind off of troubles. Mikazo didn't want to say goodbye to his closest friend, and the thought of perhaps being forced to part ways cut deeper than any claws could.

As for Zawadi, though Mikazo had not known Kimada's sister very long, he was surprised by how unwilling he was to see the last of her. She was fun, loyal, brave and intelligent. Sure, she was also snarky and loved to tease both Kimada and Mikazo, but she almost never did so harshly enough to hurt feelings, and on those occasions when she did go too far in her teasing, she hadn't meant to. Often, Mikazo found himself joining right in with her banter. She was a fun-loving, caring lioness, who Mikazo already knew was fiercely protective of her brother and her pride mates, and he had to admire that. He didn't like the idea of losing Zawadi, either.

And then there was Msafiri and the rest of his pride. Mikazo still did not know Vema and Suluhu very well, though he had spent some more time with both of them since returning from the Hakuna Matata jungle, and he thought that both were decent lionesses. But he felt that he knew Msafiri and Azizi quite well by now. Azizi was an extremely sweet, kind little cub who seemed unusually mature for her age, and though she was definitely suffering from the death of her mother, she still managed to hold on to her cheer most days.

Mikazo would be willing to hazard a guess that when Azizi grew up, she would be an incredible lioness; smart, brave, no doubt strong-willed, and most likely a bit of a spit-fire. He really wanted to watch the young cub become the lioness he thought she would be. He wanted to watch her grow up and show the world just how amazing she would most definitely become. If they left, he would lose that chance.

And Msafiri... Mikazo deeply respected the older lion, as much for his knowledge brought by his years of life, as for his bravery and his good heart. Msafiri was a clearly honorable lion, and Mikazo found more and more that he couldn't help but see Msafiri as a role-model, as a lion to emulate. The more time he spent with Msafiri, the more he found to like about the visiting king, and though there were moments where Msafiri was deeply melancholy over the death of his mate Masa, he was always willing to talk with Mikazo about something as simple as how his day had gone. To have to say goodbye to Msafiri was a far from pleasant thought, and Mikazo was startled to find that a part of him felt a bit like a lost little cub at the prospect.

Mikazo didn't know what could done to make any of this work out, but he knew that it was something that Kimada and Zawadi, as well as Msafiri, had to decide for themselves. He couldn't in good conscience stick his muzzle in and start trying to get them to stay as he wanted them to do. Trying to force their choices wouldn't be right, and Mikazo knew that if Msafiri chose to leave, and if they chose to leave with Msafiri, it would be because they wanted to. And if they would be happiest that way, then what right would he have to try to stop them?

Still, Mikazo was holding on to the hope that Msafiri would decide to make a permanent home in the Pride Lands, after all, and that way, they would all stay. Once Mikazo got his pride back from Jinamizi, if he could manage to take down the powerful rogue, then Mikazo would live half a day's walk away from the Pride Lands, but at least he would still be close enough to visit Kimada, Zawadi, and the others fairly often. That was the best outcome that he could hope for.

Once they'd all finished their meal, Mikazo went up to sit on Pride Rock's promontory, planning to groom the mess from his fur, though the rain had largely taken care of that for him. There was still a bit of wildebeest meat caught on the fur that ringed his muzzle, but that would be quick enough to fix. And as long as he focused on cleaning his coat, he didn't have to think about his friends possibly leaving. Avoidance seemed a good tactic to take, at the moment.

As Mikazo washed his muzzle, licking a paw and then swiping it carefully over his nose and whiskers, cleaning them and then taking care to straighten his whiskers, he failed to hear the soft approach of stealthy pawsteps. As a result, he was quite startled when a sleek form slammed into his side and knocked him down onto the stone, pinning him.

Whoever had pinned him rolled him onto his back, keeping their paws firmly in place to hold him down. Mikazo shook his head and looked up, blinking against the falling rain, to see Zawadi smirking down at him. "Oh, hey, Zawadi," he greeted casually, lifting a paw and swatting lightly at her from his pinned position. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes, of course it was," Zawadi said seriously. "I mean, you were just sitting there, minding your own business, just asking to be tackled... how could I pass up a chance like that?"

Mikazo narrowed his eyes. "One day, I swear I will get you back for all the times you've sneak attacked me, you and Kimada." Doing his best menacing voice, Mikazo said, "Both of you will suffer dearly..."

"And when that day comes, we'll likely have it coming," Zawadi agreed cheerfully, flopping down in place so she was more or less laying on top of him, giving him no chance to squirm out of her pin, with her fore paws still on his chest and her body twisted so she was laying on her side from the chest down, her lower body pinning his stomach and hind legs. Mikazo huffed out his breath, but didn't mind too much. She was fairly light, being quite thin and short for her age. At least he could still twitch his tail, but that was it. Zawadi dipped her head to nudge against his cheek in a playful headbutt. "But you're far too much of a softy, so that day should be pretty far off, I'd be willing to say," she added, and then lifted her head again and grinned at him smugly. "And until that day comes, we will never let up on you, neither my brother nor I. You're just too much fun to attack."

"My best friends are out to kill me," Mikazo realized. He glared up at her with purposefully over-exaggerated accusation. "You are, aren't you?"

"Well, drat, you figured out the first stage of our evil plan to take over the whole world." Zawadi shook her head with a groan of dismay as Mikazo blinked in surprise and then decided to just go with the fun. "Now Kimada and I will have to make some major changes to our plot... Or, of course, we could just get rid of you ahead of schedule." She lifted a paw and dropped it onto the front of his mane, tensing her paw as though to extend her claws, though keeping them almost entirely sheathed. The very tips of her claws poked lightly at his mane fur, and never sank any deeper. Despite her care to avoid actually hurting him, she was clearly enjoying her game as she said darkly, "Can't have you blabbing our plan to any passing animal, can we?"

"Uh, well..." Mikazo grinned widely, ingratiatingly. "Or I have an idea, how about this? You let me go, and I'll help you with your evil plot! After all, three world rulers are better than two, right? If I join you two, I can help keep the masses of the world under control, and be on the lookout for any attempts to rebel against your all-powerful reign." In a wheedling tone, he added, "What do you say?"

"Hmm..." Zawadi tilted her head thoughtfully. "An interesting proposal. You say you'll come over to the dark side if I don't end your life here and now like any self-respecting villain would do?"

"Without a moment's hesitation," Mikazo said promptly. "I mean, come on, I hang out with you and Kimada, don't I? You've both long since corrupted me beyond all redemption. And since the other option is a rather embarrassing death while pinned to the ground, I figure, why not?"

Zawadi grinned, her eyes sparkling in amusement. Then she said briskly, "Very well, I'll allow you to live." She pulled her paw back off of Mikazo's mane, dropping it back on his chest to keep him pinned. "And I'll twist Kimada's foreleg on your behalf. You can join us. You are now officially a part of our group, the 'Dark Rulers of Eternal Night'! Feel free to feel honored beyond all belief. It is a very exclusive group, you know. It used to have more members, but they were annoying, so we got rid of them." She patted the top of his head lightly with a paw. "You might want to keep that in mind."

Mikazo bit back a laugh, trying to stay in character for the sake of the game. "That's great! But is it open for a possible name change to something less corny?"

"Absolutely!"

Mikazo, truly getting into his role now, whooped loudly and, from his position still on his back and pinned under Zawadi, punched his paw up straight up into the air as he shouted triumphantly, "We shall rule the world! All will fall before our might!"

From nearby, two lionesses, Huni and Mwezi, glanced over at his yell. "...Should we ask?" Huni said to Mwezi with amusement and perhaps a hint of alarm.

"No. No, I think we'd best not," Mwezi said flatly.

Zawadi rolled off of him and onto her back, laughing so hard one of her back paws kept kicking sporadically. "And _this _is why you're cool enough to be my friend," she said breathlessly, once her laughter had died down slightly. "I mean, okay, you're still very, very weird, but it's an awesome kind of weird. By the way, great job keeping our world domination plans undercover. I'm sure no one noticed your shout."

"You know, I'm beginning to notice that half the time I talk to you, I somehow end up simultaneously flattered and insulted. How do you do that?"

"It's a gift. One of many, I might add. Haven't you noticed?" Zawadi rolled back onto her stomach and stood, grinning. "So, I think I'm going to go on a walk, get some of this meat burned off before I collapse from food overload. Wanna come along?"

"Sure!" Mikazo agreed, getting up as well. "After all, someone has to keep an eye on you. Can't leave you out alone in the world without supervision. The world would never stand a chance with you unleashed on the poor thing."

Zawadi grinned. "That's very true!" She nudged her shoulder against his, adding cockily, "And don't you forget it."

Mikazo grinned as well, then said, "You know, I think you and Kimada really have corrupted me beyond all redemption. Your style of strange seems completely normal now. I don't know how I ever thought that normal was not boring!"

"Great, mission accomplished!" Zawadi said cheerfully. "And aren't you just thrilled? Now you're just as insane as my brother and I are." She smirked widely, her eyes narrowing smugly. "In other words, Mikazo, you're completely doomed. Abandon all hope..."

With that, and still grinning widely, she flicked her tail and started down the path into the Savannah, a deliberate swagger in her step.

Mikazo shook his head, chuckling, and followed after her.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Out in the Savannah, though still within sight of Pride Rock, Daka and Azizi stood. Though Daka had played for a while with his parents upon their return from the hunt, along with Azizi joining, the two cubs had headed off on their own for a bit, wanting to explore. They had spent the better part of the last few minutes playing with the wildebeest horn that Daka had brought along, one of the horns from the two wildebeest that the hunters had brought in. They'd been practicing pouncing on it, as well as gnawing on it to make grooves in its already rough surface, and swat it back and forth between them. After a while, though, they tired of that game, and were ready to do something else for a bit.

It was mid-day right now, and the rain had lessened to a lighter drizzle from its now standard downpour, and the two cubs were glad for the chance to dry off slightly. But for all she was glad for that, Azizi wasn't certain she liked the idea of Daka's newest plan.

"Come on, Azizi!" Daka said imploringly. "It'll be fun! And you want to go exploring, right? I don't think there's a better place to explore anywhere!"

"But…" Azizi shook her head. "I don't know, Daka. Doesn't everyone say no one is supposed to go to the Elephant Graveyard? One of the first things they told me when my dad and the rest of us got here was that I wasn't supposed to go anywhere near there, or the Outlands. They said it was dangerous."

"Yeah, I know," Daka agreed with a frown. "But still, think about it! It'll be great, really, and staying behind is no fun!" He crouched and waved his tail above his head, looking up at Azizi. "We can have an adventure! We'd get to see all kinds of stuff!"

"Yeah," Azizi agreed hesitantly. She cast a slightly longing glance in the direction of the Elephant Graveyard, far away toward the northern border. "I bet we could." She turned back to Daka, uncertain. "But we're not supposed to go there, Daka!"

Daka frowned again, displeased. "I know, but I don't see why that is. After all, everyone says all the hyenas left! It's just a big, empty place now. There aren't any hyenas there anymore at all. It can't be dangerous!"

The more she listened, the more Azizi was tempted by her friend's idea. "Well…" Azizi said, tilting her head. "What's it like there?"

"I don't know, really," Daka admitted. "But it's an Elephant Graveyard! That means there are gonna be big skeletons everywhere. It'll be really creepy, I bet. A great place to explore!"

Azizi rolled her eyes with a defeated sigh, but when she looked at Daka again, her expression was bright with excitement. "Alright, I'll come," she agreed. "But if we get caught, we're going to be grounded for life, you know!"

"I know!" Daka said brightly. "That's part of what makes it fun!" He turned in the direction of the Graveyard, whisking his tail happily. "We just won't get caught, that's all."

"Right!" Azizi said, grinning. "So let's get going!"

With quick, excited strides, the two cubs raced off toward the northern border and the dark, mist-shrouded land beyond.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo pounced forward, lunging through the air with as much strength as he could muster. He landed hard and glanced back over his shoulder. "Alright, your turn, Vonny," he said, smiling. "But I got pretty far this time. Do you think you can do better?"

"I believe it's a distinct possibility," Voninahitra said evenly as he trotted forward to the starting marker, returning Mikazo's smile. The ring-tailed lemur leaned back on his thick-furred hind legs, getting ready to spring. "After all, jumping is something my kind excel at."

Because of the temporary drop in the force of the rain, Mikazo and his friends had decided to take advantage of what time that gave them for a bit with a game without being utterly soaked. Mikazo, Kimada, Zawadi, and Voninahitra were a short distance from Pride Rock, in a largely flat field with tall grass, and the four of them were having a far-jumping competition. Kimada had suggested the idea. He said he'd thought of it because of a similar event that had taken place during the games with Timon's meerkat colony in the jungle. The idea was to take turns leaping horizontally, and see who could jump the farthest. Despite his playful bravado, Mikazo was pretty sure that Vonny was right about his chances of beating Mikazo's jump length. Voninahitra may be very small, but Mikazo was regularly amazed by how high and how far the little lemur could leap.

The other two lions were quite good at jumping as well, and it was tough to say which sibling was better at it. Perhaps Kimada, since with his larger body and more powerful legs, he seemed to be landing slightly farther than Zawadi could manage. Though Zawadi's jumps certainly weren't lacking in effort or enthusiasm, which seemed to more or less even things out.

Mikazo's battle training was scheduled for later that evening, as the sun fell. The plan was that he needed to learn how to battle in the much lower visibility of dusk and then nighttime. Dusk could be a very difficult time to battle, even more so than night, because it often made objects look strange and misshapen in the half-light. If he ended up fighting Jinamizi at night or dusk or dawn, then he needed to be ready and able, and he needed to know how to fight while relying more on his sense of smell and hearing rather than sight. While lions had excellent night-sight, they could still see better in daylight than they could with the sun down, so that was something that was probably a good idea to factor into Mikazo's training plan, as Nala had suggested.

It was still only mid-day, however, so that training session was some time away yet. So Mikazo and his friends decided to spend some time goofing around and doing nothing more serious than playing and having fun. The four of them continued in their game for a few more minutes before switching to a new game, a combination of Track and Pounce and tag, where once one of them tracked down and found another of the players, they then had to catch and tag them as they ran.

Eventually, though, they heard a voice call out and they all paused in their play to look around. Vitani was walking up to them. To Mikazo's confusion and slight worry, the scruffy-furred lioness seemed uneasy, and her bright blue eyes seemed troubled. "Hey, guys," she rasped. "Have any of you seen Daka? Or Azizi, for that matter. Kovu and Kiara can't find them anywhere, and neither can anyone else."

"No, we haven't," Mikazo answered, frowning. He took several quick steps toward Vitani, the fur along his spine beginning to bristle as he started to feel the first tingles of alarm. Next to him, Kimada, Zawadi, and Vonny exchanged concerned looks. "Do you think something's wrong?"

"I don't know," Vitani grimaced and shrugged. "Knowing my nephew, he could be anywhere. I'd call him way too adventurous for his own good, but that would be a little bit hypocritical, since I'm pretty sure I was worse as a cub." She lashed her tawny-colored tail in frustration. "But we've looked everywhere around and inside Pride Rock, and a bit out into the Savannah in all directions, and no luck."

"What about the waterhole?" Zawadi suggested hopefully. "Maybe they just went for a drink."

"No, they're not there," Vitani answered in a tense tone. "And besides, Daka's still mostly drinking just milk anyway."

"Well, we'll help look for them!" Kimada said. "What about tracking them by smell?"

Vitani shook her head as the group of four fell into step beside her, and they hurried back in the general direction of Pride Rock. Vitani's pace was tense and hurried, raising the strength of Mikazo's anxiety. "No, that wouldn't work. We tried, but their scents are all over the place. We can't find a starting point to follow, with their scent trails crossing over each other everywhere you check. It makes sense, since Daka lives here and Azizi's been here a while, but it doesn't help us track them down at all."

"That's... not good," Mikazo said with a sigh.

"That's obvious," Vitani agreed, slightly impatiently. Mikazo knew that the lioness was truly concerned for her brother's son. "Anyway, Simba's setting up some search parties. So we'll get you guys into one of the groups, and we can all start looking."

All three of the other lions, and the lemur as well, agreed willingly, all of them concerned and anxious for the sake of the cubs. Mikazo's heart was beating faster than normal, and he couldn't stop the nervous flicking of his tail. Those two little cubs were probably just fine, he knew. They were probably just out a bit from Pride Rock and playing together without realizing they were being missed and worried about. But what if they weren't perfectly safe? If there was any chance at all they could be in danger, they had to find Daka and Azizi quickly, before anything could happen to them.

As they reached Pride Rock, Mikazo could see that all of the pride, including those from Msafiri's group, were gathered at the base of the jutting stone monolith. Simba and Nala, along with an extremely anxious-looking Kiara and Kovu, were standing near the center of the gathering, and Simba cut off in what he was saying as he saw Vitani's return with her entourage.

"Vitani!" Kovu exclaimed, his voice relieved and hopeful. "Any luck, did you find them?"

Vitani sighed and shook her head. "No, not yet. None of these guys have seen them either."

Kovu groaned and lowered his head, obviously distressed. The reaction among everyone else there was similar, and was most prominent in Simba, Nala, and Kiara, as well as Msafiri, whose own daughter was one of the two missing cubs.

"Father, what do we do?" Kiara said with something close to desperation.

"We'll find them, Kiara, don't worry," Simba said reassuringly, though his jaw was tight and his eyes were wide with strained concern.

"We're probably over-reacting," Kovu said hopefully. "I mean, how much trouble could those two get into around here?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone present stared at him incredulously.

"Alright, I'll admit that was a stupid thing to say," Kovu sighed. "There was Simba and Nala with the hyenas, and Kiara and I with the crocodiles..." Kovu didn't notice Kiara's eyes go wide as Simba and Nala both froze in shock. "And didn't you say something about your grandfather, Ahadi, and something about a fall of a cliff when he was a cub, Simba? And Mufasa had some kind of run in with an irritated hippo, right?" Kovu sighed again. "Okay, so that _was _a bit of a crazy thing to say, given the record."

"Kovu..." Simba said quietly. He trailed off and then took a deep breath. "What, exactly, did you mean by you and Kiara and crocodiles?"

"Uh..." After a pause during which he just stared at Simba with a slightly open mouth, Kovu swallowed and sent a glance at Kiara. "You... didn't mention that back then?" he asked his mate uneasily.

"Mention what?" Nala said in a strained tone.

"No, no I didn't," Kiara said, staring at Kovu with her eyes still stretched wide. As Simba glared at Kovu and Nala continued to look stunned and alarmed, Kiara said quickly, "But I'll explain later. We have to find Daka and Azizi now."

"Right," Simba agreed. "I'll definitely want to hear about this later, though. Crocodiles and my little cub..." He growled quietly, then focused his full attention back on the situation. "Now, the search teams! Kiara, Kovu, you two head toward the south-eastern-most part of the river. Speaking of crocodiles, if Daka and Azizi go too near the river at any point of it, they could be in danger from that. Kudura, you and Nyota and Huni check around the river and that small cliff directly to the south. Nala, could you take Vitani and check around the gorge?" As his mate nodded an affirmative, Simba said uneasily, "All I can say is I hope they aren't in the gorge, not that I really think there's any danger there normally. But that place...

After a brief pause, Simba continued, "Anyway, Kukimbia, Mwezi, and Msafiri, please check near the base of the gorge, close to the largest mountain toward the south-west."

"Yes, of course," Msafiri agreed, clearly anxious to get out and start searching for his daughter.

"Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu, could you three start checking around the thorn bush patch that's near Five Stones? There are a few places around there a cub could get trapped in." Finally, Simba turned to Mikazo and the others. "Alright, Kimada, you, Mikazo, Zawadi, and Vonny head to the north and search along the Outlands border. Maybe go past the border into the Outlands, and check for them there."

"Right away!" Kimada said immediately.

Simba nodded, and then gave out instructions to the remaining members of the pride, most of whom Mikazo didn't know as well. Once that was finished, Simba added, "Alright, and I'll be heading to look around the Elephant Graveyard. Let's go, everyone. Good luck, and let's find them quickly."

"Getting into trouble around here is practically a rite of passage," Zazu said with a mixture of worry and frustration as the hornbill took to the air and flew toward the north-west and Five Stones with Pumbaa trotting along quickly beneath him. As always, Timon was hitching a ride on the warthog's back.

Everyone set out quickly in the direction of their designated spots, the lions heading in all directions across the Pride Lands, and Mikazo was halfway between a trot and as run as he headed toward the Outlands. He hoped that one of the search groups could find Daka and Azizi quickly, and find them unharmed.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Daka and Azizi reached the small cliff that defined the edge of the border between the Pride Lands and the beginning of the Elephant Graveyard. This part of the Pride Lands was different from most of the lands Daka lived in. Though it wasn't completely barren, there was more stone and dirt and less grass around this area, with scrubby bushes here and there and a few straggly trees. There were also a few piles of stones that looked a bit interesting, but Daka was too focused on exploring the Elephant Graveyard to slow down and check them out.

As he and Azizi padded to the edge of the cliff and looked down, Daka saw that past that cliff lay the Graveyard. He couldn't see much from this angle and distance, because of the mist and thickly falling rain, but he could see that the Graveyard seemed to be entirely barren. He couldn't see any grass or plant-life of any kind, and definitely no sign of any animals, just sloping stone and ground and jutting hills that seemed to go on endlessly. There were eruptions of steam all over the place, the hot, moist air shooting into the sky and mixing with the draping mist, and Daka guessed that there had to be a lot of geysers around the Graveyard.

He could also make out the vague shapes of what could only be elephant skeletons, and with a jolt of fresh excitement, he turned to Azizi. "Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed.

"Alright!" Azizi agreed, grinning widely as she too looked down at the land they were about to explore.

The two cubs quickly sprang down the cliff edge, nearly falling as they tried to run down its steep side. Halfway down, Daka, forced by momentum to move more quickly than he could keep up with, tripped and slammed into Azizi, who was just ahead of him. With startled cries, the two of them fell in a bundle down the rest of the way.

Daka twisted toward the ground as he saw it zooming up to meet him. With a gasp of effort, he landed on his paws, but tumbled down onto his stomach and rolled a few more feet across the ground. An instant later, before he could do more than blink, Azizi landed on top of him.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly as Daka groaned and tried to worked to get her off. He stood and shook himself, and he and Azizi looked up and around.

Both cubs' eyes widened and their jaws dropped open as they got their first up close look at the sloping valley in which the Graveyard was set. Jagged rocks pierced the sky in all directions, their shapes fading into the drifting mist until they appeared ghostly, as though only half-solid. Massive, sloping hills will visible everywhere; and Daka felt a shiver of fearful excitement when he realized that many of those hills were covered in, or entirely made up of, scattered elephants bones of all sizes and shapes. The land stretched to the far horizon, a desolate valley of grays and blacks and blinding fog. Deep canyons cleaved the land in many different areas, contrasting with the sharp spires of stone and bone that rose high into the air.

Of course, the most prominent part of the Elephant Graveyard was the bones of the elephants themselves. In every direction, save for the way he and Azizi had just come, bones lay scattered as far as the eye could see. Ribs, both broken and shattered, and those still attached to spines and the other ribs were everywhere, mixing with leg bones of unbelievable size. And then there were the skulls of the elephants. Though they were far outnumbered by the other bones, there was no lack of skulls, both those bleached completely white by the sun and weather, and those that still seemed fairly fresh, as though it had not been long since they'd existed in a living body. Elephant tusks thrust up from the ground everywhere Daka looked, and, combined with the bones and the rocks and the mountainous spires and deep canyons, there was no end to the areas they could explore.

The wind blew and caused a hollow, echoing sound to emit from the skulls it passed through. The rain, which was still slightly lighter than it had been lately, fell and rattled on the rocks and the skeletons in a constant patter.

"This is awesome..." Daka said quietly, padding forward into the Graveyard with eyes still stretched wide.

"Yeah," Azizi agreed, just as amazed as he was. She and Daka took a few more steps in silence before Azizi's grin widened until it had nearly overtaken her entire face. "Come on, Daka, let's go exploring!" she exclaimed.

"Alright!" Daka agreed enthusiastically. "Race you to the top of that hill!"

"Okay," Azizi said, and sprang forward with Daka half a step behind her. The two young cubs reached the top of the hill, scrambling up the rocks and shifting dirt, and looked around. There were so many places to check out, neither one of them knew which way to go first. Finally, they set off for the nearest spire of rock, which was covered thickly in all kinds of skeletal remains.

There was a geyser right near the bottom that neither one could resist peering down into. Bubbling water was just visible at the bottom of the shaft, but Daka couldn't look too closely, as the stream rising from the hole was too hot for him to stand for long. It was a good thing that they both backed away when they did because a few moments later, the geyser erupted in a loud burst of stream and boiling water, and both cubs startled back.

"Whoa!" Azizi exclaimed. "That was close."

"Yeah! Wasn't it great?"

Azizi matched his grin. "Yep! Now come on!" This time, with Daka in the lead, the two of them ran up toward the spire. Several minutes later, after they had thoroughly explored all its nooks and crannies and were ready to move on, they headed deeper into the Elephant Graveyard.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Though the two exuberant and energetic two cubs were not aware of it, they were not the only animals currently in the Elephant Graveyard. There were, of course, many spiders of all kinds, and there were flying insects and beetles. There were also many mice, which made their homes among the bones and scavenged what food they could find.

But the creature watching the two young lions' progress as they adventured through the strange, misty land was neither insect, spider, nor rodent. In fact, he was not even warm-blooded, as the rodents were, though they provided him a good source of food. Not that Mauja was fully satisfied with the mice. He would be glad to find something much larger and substantial to feed on. Something that would last him for some time...

Mauja's jaw fell open as his tongue flicked out to taste the air, his head lifting high. He let out a long, low hiss. Those cubs were intruding on his territory, and he couldn't allow that. For their intrusion upon his territory, for their curiosity and impudence, those two little lions would pay with their lives. He felt the wind blow past his fangs as he hissed, his potent venom strong and ready in his poison pouches. At least they would provide a much better meal than any mouse would.

With another hiss, the black mamba uncoiled himself fully from his den, a crevice in the side of a small, rocky hill. Moving sinuously down the hill, his pale gray form nearly invisible in the mist, Mauja began to close the distance between himself and the cubs.


	28. A Matter of Respect

**I'm on a roll, we've hit the 200,000 word mark! ****Party at my house.**

**At 100,000 words, we had a pizza party. Let's do KFC this time. Bring buckets. I like extra crispy, how about you?**

**...You know... if we hit 300,000 words? I demand steak.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

The rain blasted down from the sky in a sudden and fierce but thankfully brief downpour, slamming a barrage of cold, hard droplets into Daka and Azizi's faces and forcing them both to clench their eyes shut against it. Then, after a few seconds, the deluge calmed and returned to its previous drizzle. It was still raining fairly heavily, but much less so than was most common these days. Huffing in disgust, Daka impatiently shook his head to scatter the rain from his eyes, and then scrubbed at his face with a paw, unwilling to have his vision blurred for even a moment when there were so many cool things for him to find and explore around here.

The Pride Lands' young prince, with the worst of the water out of his eyes and his sight clear aside from the intervening mist, looked around with an open-mouthed grin and his tail lifted high at the new area of the Elephant Graveyard he and Azizi were in. They were deep inside the shadowy territory of rocks and bones now, having thoroughly explored every interesting thing they could find along their path as they'd continued in their adventure. Now Daka and Azizi were heading toward a massive collection of tall spires and deep pits that made up a kind of cavern, filled with crevices and geysers that periodically spouted lines of searing steam that Daka could swear went nearly as tall as a tree. Dark and creepy, it was set against a backdrop of thick mist, shrouded heavily until parts of the jutting stone were completely invisible, and then those parts loomed suddenly out of the mist as he and Azizi drew nearer.

It looked like just the sort of place to explore, and from what he knew from his grandparents' stories, it was probably where the hyenas used to live before his evil Great-Great-Uncle Scar caused all that trouble, starting back when his grandpa and grandma had been cubs. He didn't know exactly what Great-Great-Uncle Scar had done, though he knew it was very bad, and that it had hurt his Grandfather Simba a lot. He knew it had something to do with his Great-Grandfather Mufasa's death, his Grandpa Simba's own dad, and that Scar had recruited all of the hyenas in some kind of evil plan, but no-one would explain any more than that to Daka.

To Daka's frustration, whenever he asked about that time, his parents and his grandparents, and even his Aunt Vitani, always said "I'll tell you when you're older." His Great-Grandmothers Sarabi and Sarafina seemed especially unwilling to speak of that time to Daka. They all told him that he was too young, and they didn't want him to know yet just how bad King Scar's reign had been, and just what his great-great-uncle had done. Even the other pride members and even a gazelle- who'd been a last resort because Daka had wanted to hear the full story and no one else would tell him- he'd questioned had refused to explain anything to him. (Although in that gazelle's case, Daka supposed it might have been more that he wasn't much older than Daka was and probably didn't know himself. Maybe, anyway. He still had a sneaking suspicion that the gazelle had been holding out on him.)

Daka had long since decided that was probably the most annoying thing to say in the history of the world, that he'd find out what he was curious about _now_ only when he was _older_. Why did they think they had to coddle him like a little baby? He could handle anything that any adult could! Wasn't he proving just that right this very moment, being in the Elephant Graveyard? They always said it was too dangerous, but that was just dumb. It was such a cool place, with geysers and little mountain-like things and spires and rocks and holes and dips and crevices and many other things besides that Daka really wanted to look into. And besides, there weren't any other animals around aside from a few bugs that occasionally buzzed around the two cubs' ears and the occasional sound of a mouse scuttling among the bones and rocks, its tiny claws scratching for purchase and its little squeaks barely audible.

As much as he might like to tell everyone back home how brave and smart he and Azizi were, he guessed it would be a bad idea to tell his parents about this adventure. He'd probably get grounded for life because they thought he'd been in danger. He was sure that wasn't true, he wasn't in any sort of danger here. Daka wondered why they thought there were any problems in the Elephant Graveyard. Had they visited it since the hyenas had left? The little cub supposed they must not have, because if they had, they would have known that there wasn't any kind of other dangerous things around here anymore, either, just like he did.

"This place is really spooky-looking," Azizi said with both excitement and a hint of fear as they had almost reached the massive group of spires and such that made up the hyena clan's old home.

Dim shadows, the last remnants of the sunlight's effect, of what faint light had managed to make it down through both the rain clouds and the mist, were cast in thick, long bands along the ground around the collection of jutting rocks. Along with their pointed spires disappearing into the sky, so far above the cubs' heads that Daka had to crane his neck back to even see where they vanished into the mist, there were also deep pools of darkness where caves and caverns were situated among the towering stone shapes. The mist not only shrouded the collection of structures, but like over all the rest of the Elephant Graveyard, here also it hung just over the ground in both thin and thick twisting shapes, faintly translucent but surprisingly dense.

Daka wasn't sure what caused mist- or rain, actually, for that matter, maybe he'd ask his parents after he returned triumphantly from his adventure- but it, along with the rain and the shadows cast by the spires and jutting rocks and the steam that rose from the multitudes of geysers, made it pretty hard to see long distances around here. All the same, all together it made the hyena's old home a place so different than any Daka had ever seen that it was one of the best places for exploration he could imagine.

"You're not afraid, are you?" Daka asked his companion with a hint of a smirk, not trying to be mean, but unable to help but tease her about it. Although he had to admit to himself that it was a bit creepy, but in a cool kind of way. Still, he wasn't about to admit that out _loud._ That wasn't something you did, telling your best friend that you were a little creeped out, especially if they happened to be a _girl._ Though he was sure if he ever said as much to Azizi, she'd pin him to the ground and wouldn't let him back up until he took it back. She'd done it before...

"No, I'm not!" Azizi said with insulted sharpness. She lifted her head and straightened her back. "Come on, I'll even lead the way." With a short lash of her tail, the silvery-tan cub trotted on ahead with a proud air, heading toward the spires at a quick pace, clearly intent on proving just how not afraid she was. Daka grinned and raced after her, swatting playfully at her brown tufted tail-tip as he caught up.

As they continued on, however, Daka caught a sound just at the edge of his hearing. Twisting his ears, he tried to track it, to identify it, but it was so brief and echoed so strangely among the towering rocks and deep crevices that he couldn't guess what it even really sounded like, let alone where it came from. Then the sound faded from hearing without giving him any chance to figure out what had caused it. Twitching his own tail dismissively and deciding it must have just been a mouse or something, Daka started off again.

He'd only taken a few short steps when the sound came again, nearer to them and this time loud enough for him to get an idea of what it sounded like.

It was a faint sound, sibilant and strange as it filtered through the mist; some kind of low-pitched, wavering _hiss._ As the sound washed over him, Daka felt his muscles lock as some deep instinct inside him responded to the unfamiliar noise with alarm and the beginnings of terror. Though he didn't know what exactly was causing that sound, had never heard it before, some deep part of him insisted desperately that it meant _danger._

Azizi, who was a few paces ahead of him, paused and looked back, confused at why he had stopped walking. "Daka, what's..." She trailed off as she saw his expression, and her own twisted into one of worry and fear. "Daka?"

"Azizi, do you hear that?" Daka asked in a strained whisper, his limbs still locked in place and his heart beginning to pound as the hiss came again, long, drawn out, and wavering. His ears twitched to and fro as he tried to track the sound, tried to figure out exactly where it was coming from and just what was making it. He had no luck, but if one thing was clear, it was that it was the sound of another living creature. And it certainly didn't sound much like any mouse Daka had ever heard.

Blinking at his question, the little lioness cub pricked her own ears, and waited. Soon enough her eyes widened slightly as she, too, caught the noise. "I... I think so," Azizi said quietly, obviously disturbed. Daka saw that the fur along her back was beginning to lift, the silvery specks in her tan fur glimmering slightly in the light as her fur bristled. "What is that, where's it coming from?"

Daka shook his head, uncertain and afraid. He padded a few slow, careful steps over to Azizi and pressed his side lightly to hers, not wanting to appear too terrified, but unable to resist looking for some form of comfort. As Azizi stepped closer to him in return until she was close enough that his whiskers brushed her head, Daka lifted his ears high again.

Just underneath the hiss, which rose and fell in pitch as well as having moments of silence, Daka thought he could hear something else. Just at the very faintest volume that he was capable of detecting, there seemed to be some kind of scraping sound, as of something moving slowly over stone, something rough and grating, like claws or... Daka swallowed as he realized the noise sounded just like the sound that the lizard he sometimes pounced at made as it moved low on its belly, low enough its scales brushed the ground as it ran; a quiet, spine-tingling _scrape, _so quiet as to be nearly impossible to hear.

The noise was the sound of scales brushing against stone. But no lizard Daka knew of made a hissing noise. In fact, he could only think of one species of animal that might make that sound, combined with the brush of scales; some kind of snake.

He hadn't considered that there might be snakes living in the Elephant Graveyard. He hadn't even thought of that, all he'd known was that there were no hyenas here anymore. But Daka knew that there were many species of snakes around where he lived that would see him and Azizi as little more than an appetizer.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Simba reached the boundary that divided his lands from the Elephant Graveyard and wasted no time in springing easily in a few bounds down the hill he and Nala and once fallen down while play-fighting as cubs. That had been the day they had sneaked off to the Elephant Graveyard and had then nearly been killed by those three hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, who had been Scar's closest followers out of all the members of the hyena clan that had lived in the Elephant Graveyard back then.

Though he couldn't, of course, be certain, Simba had to assume that that had been an early attempt by his uncle, Scar, to kill him, before he had tried and half-succeeded by causing the wildebeest stampede that had left Simba alive but had killed Mufasa, as Scar had intended for both cub and father. That stampede had taken his father from him, and Simba still occasionally had nightmares filled with thundering hooves and the sound of his father's yell as he'd fallen from the cliff edge into the stampede... or rather, as Simba had found out much later, had been thrown- or perhaps been shoved, he didn't know the exact specifics and didn't want to think too much about it- from the cliff by his brother, Scar. He wouldn't be at all surprised if his and Nala's near deaths at the paws of the hyenas who had worked for Scar had been planned by the conniving lion, that their visit to the Elephant Graveyard had been part of Scar's quest for power. At least that had failed, thanks to Zazu bringing Simba's father to the rescue, and both Simba and Nala had been saved.

All that aside, Simba had been to the Elephant Graveyard several times as an adult, though he'd never gone too deep into the barren, shadowed lands. They weren't his lands to travel, but as they weren't claimed by any other lion prides or Shenzi's hyena clan any longer, there at least was no danger of starting a war by his trespass. He'd paced around the perimeter that met with the Pride Lands' borders, and had ventured a short distance inside each time, checking to be sure there was nothing there that could threaten his pride if it decided to cross into his lands. There never had been something of significant threat for an entire pride of lions, but he knew there were a few animals scattered throughout the massive Graveyard that could easily hurt or kill a couple of young cubs.

If they were in the Elephant Graveyard- and he hoped desperately they were not, that they were somewhere safe and just unnoticed in the Pride Lands- he had to find Daka and Azizi before something terrible happened to them. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his grandson, the warm-hearted, curious, adventurous cub he loved so much. And he couldn't allow anything to happen to Azizi either. She was too young, far too young, to die or be badly injured. He also wasn't sure Msafiri could tolerate the loss of his daughter- Simba knew he certainly would never be able to stand it if something ever happened to Kiara- especially so soon after Msafiri's mate's death.

As he landed on the ground at the bottom of the hill not far from a geyser, Simba stood tall and looked around, trying to decide which direction to head. He tried to sniff the air and then the ground for any sign of the cubs, but the rain and the mist made it impossible to smell anything but water and rock. If they had passed through here, he had no way of knowing through scent.

With a growl of frustration, Simba glanced around at the ground for tracks, though he knew since it was predominately made up of stone and scattered bones, there was no surface where a paw could leave a print. Still hoping that neither cub was here in these dark lands, Simba heaved a sigh and set off into the depths of the Elephant Graveyard, calling Daka and Azizi's names periodically, as he had been even while in the Pride Lands. If they were here, he'd find them, even if he had to search the entire Elephant Graveyard.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The low, sibilant sound of hissing and the scraping of scales echoed in Daka's ears, and his breath was coming quickly as he struggled not to panic, unwilling to appear cowardly in front of his friend but unable to hide his reaction. Thankfully, at least on that count, Azizi seemed as nervous as he did, so maybe he wasn't a complete coward.

"Azizi, maybe... maybe we should get out of here," Daka said, his voice shaking in fear. "I think that it might be..." He swallowed again, feeling as though there was something caught in his throat, something jagged and sharp like the fear he felt rushing through him. He couldn't seem to finish his statement, that he believed it could be a snake, and Daka closed his mouth again without speaking. He fought back the urge to crouch to the ground with his eyes closed and his fore-paws covering his face, as if doing that would make the threatening sound and whatever was causing it just go away. He was _not_ a little cub, and he was not going to act like a newborn, no matter how frightened he was rapidly becoming.

"Yeah, I agree," Azizi said uneasily, her ears now pressed flat as though to block out the chilling sounds echoing around them. "Let's go back home."

Both cubs turned and started moving at a fast trot back in the direction they'd come, leaving the gigantic structure of spires and caves unexplored in favor of getting out of the Elephant Graveyard right away. As much as Daka wanted to go exploring there, his rising fear made it too scary a prospect. Maybe they'd come back some other day and explore it like they'd planned to do, but not now.

But they hadn't gone far when the hiss reached a sudden and paralyzing pitch, abruptly impossible to miss even if you weren't listening for it. The rattling hiss was now punctuated with sharp, rapid spitting. Both Daka and Azizi froze in place as a long, slim and sinuous form glided out of the mist, winding along the ground and down a long ridged bone that had to be the spine of an elephant, heading toward them from their left.

The snake blinked deep black eyes, glinting with something fierce and frightening as they fixed on the cubs. Its back was pale gray, and as it lifted its roughly rectangular head from the ground, hissing once again as its tongue flickered out through its closed mouth, Daka saw that its stomach and the bottom of its jaw was even more pale; a milky white that blended perfectly with the mist that hung over this part of the land. The snake's supple form undulated in a way that almost memorized, every twist filled with coiled power, as it drew close to them. It stopped only a few feet away, its head still lifted and a faint hiss fizzling from its mouth.

"I would normally agree with you both, and send you on your way," the snake said in an unmistakably male voice, cold and hard. Both cubs found themselves unable to move, his cold gaze pinning them in place. "If this was anyone's territory but my own, that is. Except, as it is my own, I'm afraid you have to live by my rules while here. Only fair, yes? Especially since you entered my lands without my permission." There was a fiercely territorial sharpness to the snake's tone.

"What... who are you?" Azizi asked, choking back what seemed to be a whimper. Daka thought he could feel her trembling against his side, though he himself was shaking so hard that it was difficult to tell for sure.

The snake's jaws dropped open, revealing a pitch-black mouth and two long, sharp fangs, as a threatening, rattling hiss emerged. "Oh, my name is Mauja... and, in case you did not recognize my species, young as you both are, I am a black mamba."

Daka felt his eyes widen and his fur bristle as he realized he knew that species of snake, he'd heard of it. Everyone said that black mambas were among the most dangerous snakes in Africa. They said that if a black mamba bit you even once, you were dead, and there was nothing even Rafiki could do to stop the poison from doing its work. Daka's shivering worsened as a whimper broke free from his control. Maybe his parents and grandparents had been right about the Elephant Graveyard being a dangerous place after all... And somehow, it didn't seem so worth it to explore any longer.

"Allow me to finish what I'm saying just now, though, if you would," the black mamba, Mauja, continued. "I suppose you're unfamiliar with my rules, being a newcomer to this _wonderful_ wasteland of mine, so I'll explain them to you. Normally I would allow ones so young as you a free pass, if this were not my territory, if I was traveling outside my lands right now. I do not like to prey on children. But, you see, if you enter my territory without my permission, then you have to pay for your trespassing..." He slithered even closer and Daka backed up a step, then froze again as the serpent tensed as if to strike then and there. Flicking his tongue out as Daka stopped moving, the snake relaxed and blinked in satisfaction. "Good, stay there. As I was saying, the price of trespassing, regardless of your age, is this; you both die, and then I get to eat you." With no more warning than that, the snake reared to strike, his jaws opening wide.

"_Run!_" Daka shouted frantically, and he and Azizi whipped around and sprang away. Daka heard Mauja's hiss as his head lashed through the air behind them, visible out of the corner of Daka's eye even as the cub spun to run, and he felt the strike pass so close to him that the wind stirred by it brushed past his tail. The snake's head slammed into the ground behind them, sending a few smaller elephant bones flying, and his hiss briefly became sharp with pain.

As Daka and Azizi fled for their lives, hearts pounding, pelts bristling, and minds blurred in fear, Daka chanced a glance back over his shoulder. Mauja was pursuing them, quickly building up to an astounding speed, very quickly closing the small gap they had managed to gain when he'd smacked his head into the ground.

Daka gasped and leapt sideways, and then sprang back in a zigzag pattern, instinct driving him to make himself as hard a target to hit as possible. Part of him wondered if he and Azizi should split up; at least then Mauja could only chase after one of them. The one who was not chased could almost certainly escape, and surely the one who was would have as much chance as both cubs did at the moment. But he couldn't, even in his panic, suggest it. He'd feel beyond horrible if they split up and Azizi died because she was the one chased. No, friends had to stick together, even in situations that made Daka's heart feel like it was going to burst out of his chest and made his lungs feel too small for him to breathe.

The serpent lashed out again, and Azizi cried out, springing sideways so quickly she almost plunged into a large boulder. Because he had lunged between the two of them and he was in a position to see, Daka thought the side of the black mamba's head had swept alongside Azizi's body, perhaps missing her but he couldn't be sure. In his panicked concern, Daka nearly stumbled, but then he saw that there was no blood, that Azizi had not been struck, and that she was still running as desperately as he was, and he managed to regain control of his legs.

Both cubs leapt their way up onto a broken off elephant tusk, and then thrust themselves up and over it, landing on a stone outcropping just above the shattered tusk. With Mauja lunging up after them, the length of his body easily making it over the distance Daka and Azizi had jumped, they ran on, quickly crossing the flat outcropping and springing off the edge back onto the ground below. They landed on a combination of stone and a small amount of dirt, soaked by the rain, and continued to run, the serpent's spitting and hissing urging them on to a pace faster than Daka had thought either of them could manage.

"Daka, up there!" Azizi shouted suddenly. She turned sharply on one fore-paw, swinging on that paw so her hind-quarters were carried on by her momentum while her front was holding her in place, allowing her to twist so she was facing sideways. And then, as her swing was completed, she shoved off with the opposite hind paw in order to launch herself in a new direction without loosing her stride. Daka, struggling to keep up with the larger and faster cub, struggling to stay ahead of the hissing, slithering serpent that was snapping at their paws, performed the same maneuver a moment later and threw himself after Azizi as she headed up a gently sloping hill.

"Why?" Daka asked breathlessly, flinching and trying to run even faster as he heard Mauja's mouth snap shut just behind his tail. He didn't understand how heading up a hill could help them. Mauja could travel up the hill just as quickly as they could, and it wasn't as if snakes couldn't climb, so even trying to scale the massive stone spire at the top of this hill would be useless.

Azizi was panting in the effort to get her words out without slowing her frantic pace. "I have... an idea. Just follow my lead!"

Daka had no time to hesitate or question further as Mauja slipped nearly alongside them, twisting to the side as though to cut in front of them and block their path with his thin but clearly powerful body. Daka was close enough to the black mamba to see the muscles rippling smoothly underneath the sleek gray scales. Both cubs sprang upward, shouting out in panic as the serpent lunged at them from the side. They just barely dodged once more, but Daka knew they couldn't keep this up. He knew how fast snakes could move, and he truly wasn't sure why they had not been caught already. Was Mauja playing with them? Or was he trying to tire them out so they wouldn't be able to fight back and maybe hurt him before he killed and ate them?

It didn't matter which, if either, was true, because neither cub could stand the thought of becoming snake food. They had to get away. They both continued their frantic dash up the moderate hill, their paws skidding on the occasional elephant bone, each time causing Daka's heart to leap into his throat as they slipped and nearly fell back into the jaws of the serpent pursuing them. Then, once they were near the top of the hill, Azizi shouted, "Now!" and then, in one move, she sprang sideways and up, twisting as she did so. Not knowing what she was doing, Daka stared for the space of an instant before regaining his focus and, as she'd said, following her lead, supposing that it couldn't really put them in a worse situation then they were in already. As he leapt and twisted, he realized what her plan had been.

The leap and twist they had both performed had been a complete one-eighty from the direction they had been heading, and as they sprang, they were now leaping _down _the hill. Their jumps were carrying them right over the clearly confused Mauja, who didn't seem to understand why they'd suddenly turned straight back toward him. Despite his surprise, he recovered quickly and struck at them, launching his head high into the air in an attempt to bite one of the leaping cubs, a high-pitched simmering hiss coming from his open jaws. But that was where the second part of Azizi's plan had come in, why she had led them up the hill.

Because they'd been climbing up this hill with Mauja chasing behind them, Mauja was naturally at a lower height then they were. Their jumps had carried them still higher, as well as horizontally over the black mamba, and because of the extra height they'd gained from being further up the hill then Mauja was, he didn't have enough length in his body, as long as he was, for his strike to reach them. If they'd tried to leap over him while on even ground and without that little bit of extra height, his strike would have caught them easily. But Azizi's idea had given them just enough height to avoid being hit.

Both cubs were spared as Mauja's fangs cut through the air a quarter of a foot below them, and then they passed over their hunter. Daka, marveling at Azizi's quick-thinking and brilliance, landed roughly on the ground, a fair distance down the hill from the still-shocked snake. To his alarm, he very nearly lost his balance as he did, and then his claws bit and held in the hill, allowing him to continue standing. The instant he'd aborted his fall, he launched himself back into a full run alongside Azizi as they raced back down the hill they had just climbed.

Throwing a look backward, Daka saw that Mauja's shock at their move had delayed his response, and though he was now slithering after them once again, a gray streak shooting down the hill at high speed, he was nearly half of the hill away, which was further than he'd been during the entire chase.

With a slight laugh of incredulous hope, and largely from nerves, Daka kept running even though his legs and his ribs were both beginning to ache from his desperate efforts and the extent he was demanding of them. He wanted to say something to Azizi on her idea, tell her how impressed he was, but he couldn't seem to find enough breath, and hearing a sharp hiss echoing through the mist as Mauja charged after them, he couldn't risk trying.

As they reached the bottom of the hill and began running across the nearly flat ground, with more dips and more hills ahead of them, along with spires and rocks they would have to slip around, Daka wondered which way they were supposed to go. The mist and the unfamiliarity of the Elephant Graveyard suddenly hit Daka fully, and he wasn't at all sure which way was the way back home. And even if they somehow managed to get to the border and back into the Pride Lands, would Mauja stop chasing them simply because they were out of his territory? From the snake's hissing and explosive spitting behind them, Daka was sure he wouldn't.

That meant they had to lose him somehow, leave him behind and get themselves far out of his sight before they ran back toward the border and the Pride Lands. But they didn't know this place at all, they didn't know where the shortcuts were, and which way would be the best way to run to lose someone. It was certainly a maze of spires and stones and bones, especially with the obscuring mist, but Mauja _lived_ here. Daka didn't see how they could out maneuver him on his own territory- he didn't even see how either of them could keep running for much longer- but they needed to try or they were both food.

Daka and Azizi lunged around a massive rock spire and plunged into a cave-like structure that was made of curving stones. The stones were not completely connected overhead, so though it was similar to the stone tunnels you could find in caves, and similar in a way to the cave Daka and his family lived in at Pride Rock, there were still holes in the stone ceiling that allowed extremely faint sunlight to filter through.

As a result, both cubs were racing through a haphazard assortment of shadow and light, partial shade and wide spots of relative brightness. It was disorienting, and Daka quickly started to feel dizzy, but he could hear Mauja some distance behind them, now once again close enough for him to hear the scrape of the serpent's scales against the ground even over the sound of their own paws hitting the stone, so he had to keep running despite his difficulties.

Next to him, Azizi was a pale blur as she bounded with equal desperation through the tunnel, and soon, they both burst out into a new area. Still moving as quickly as he could, Daka looked around. Fresh horror and fear pounded through him, stronger than anything he'd ever felt before, as he realized they'd run into a shallow, open-ceilinged cavern. On all sides, save for the tunnel they had just run through, were steep stone walls arching nearly straight upward. The walls were far too high to leap up, far too steep and smooth to climb.

There were no other openings apart from the one they'd just run through, no other exits, only cracks in the stone large enough for a mouse or perhaps a small bird, but far too small for them.

There was no way out. They were trapped.

With panicked disbelief, Daka and Azizi both ran to the opposite side of the cavern, shooting frantic looks in every direction, hoping desperately that their eyes were fooling them, and that there was some escape.

There was none, and as Daka skidded to a halt in front of the far wall, his side slamming into the stone as he twisted and scrambled to stop, the young cub let out a terrified sob.

At his side, Azizi crouched to the ground with her haunches pressed against the stone wall, frantic whimpers choking in her throat as both cubs watched Mauja emerge from the tunnel opposite from them. Something like surprise glittered in the black mamba's dark eyes, and it was clear he hadn't expected them to survive for so long as they ran from him. Daka supposed that, from the speed with which he'd seen the snake chase them after they had used Azizi's idea to gain such a significant lead, that Mauja really had been holding back before that, he had been playing with them.

And now it was clear he had no intention of continuing in this vein. He was obviously done playing. He hissed quietly as he approached the two shaking cubs at a moderate pace, his eyes fixed on them intently and his mouth dropping open to reveal his glistening fangs. "You two are fairly impressive for lions so young," Mauja commented as he neared them. "That move on the hill... I was surprised."

"Please, don't eat us," Azizi begged quietly, shivering against Daka's side, all of their bravery and bravado entirely gone by now, lost in the snake's unwavering black gaze.

"You entered my territory without my permission, and I can't allow that!" Mauja snapped. "What right do you have to wander into my land, trespass in my home, just to satisfy your curiosity?"

"We weren't going to hurt anything!" Daka protested desperately. "We wouldn't have hunted any mice or anything. I can't even hunt yet, I don't eat meat yet!" His voice broke as he finished.

The snake paused in surprise, stopping nearly half the cavern from them with his hiss cutting off abruptly. "You are not old enough to eat meat yet?" Mauja questioned quietly. "That is indeed very young..." For a brief moment, he almost looked troubled, and his slightly parted jaws closed. And then his eyes hardened once more. "But that does not excuse your trespass. It is not just the theft of prey that I care about. After all, there are so many mice here, and they have so many babies so often that I have a near endless supply, even if I would prefer larger meals. I am in no danger of starving, and I would have cared very little if you had caught a mouse or two. But I can't stand for trespass for any reason. This territory is mine, and mine alone..." With another hiss, he continued across the cavern, closing the gap between them.

"Please," Daka said as he pressed his chest to the ground, halfway turning so that his head was tucked under Azizi's. He could hear her rapid heartbeat beneath his ear, the breath catching raggedly in her lungs, and he was just as terrified as she was.

Mauja shook his head slowly. "...I will do this much for you, cubs. When I strike, I will bite you in your throats and chests. My venom will travel quickly through your bodies that way, and your deaths will come within minutes... perhaps even seconds, small as you are. You will suffer as little as I can possible manage to arrange."

Azizi tried one last time for bravery. "Stay away from us!" she exclaimed, with a weak attempt at a threatening growl. "Leave us alone!" Despite her last brave attempt, tears were welling in Azizi's bright green eyes.

Daka knew he was not imagining the troubled, almost reluctant look in Mauja's eyes now, but the snake still reared into a striking position. His mouth gaped, and he prepared to lunge at them. His deep black mouth and his thin, hollow fangs, which would deliver his deadly poison, were all that Daka could focus on. He didn't want to watch Mauja attack, he didn't want to see their deaths coming, but he couldn't look away. His attention was riveted, and his heart was pounding so hard his vision was blurred.

But several seconds passed, and Mauja didn't strike. He was utterly still, motionless in a pre-strike position, and Daka finally found himself able to look away from the fangs and into the snake's dark eyes. They were filled with confusion and conflict, and as Daka and Azizi met his gaze, their eyes both wide and terrified, Mauja's mouth began to close as if of its own accord as the conflict in his eyes strengthened.

Suddenly Mauja shook his head roughly as if chiding himself, and then widened his jaws again to strike, this time moving his head forward perhaps half a foot before he once again slowed to a stop, his hiss choking off as his mouth half-closed once more. As Daka and Azizi stared in confusion and desperate hope, and as Mauja's confused emotions were joined by something that looked like frustration, a new voice snapped out in the silence, shocking all of them.

"Get away from them!"

Daka, as well as Azizi and Mauja, whipped around and stared up at the left of the open cavern. On top of one of the stone walls, having clearly approached from above, silhouetted against the backdrop of mist and rainclouds, stood Daka's grandfather, Simba. The large golden lion was crouched slightly as if ready to pounce, and his expression was angry but wary as he watched the black mamba who lay so close to the cubs, poised to strike.

Daka's heart leapt with joy and hope even as shock coursed through him. What was his grandpa doing here? What did it matter? He was here! He would save them both!

Azizi let out a cry of delight as Daka yelled, "Grandpa! Help!"

Mauja's jaws snapped shut, his expression stunned. His dark eyes fixed on Simba for a moment, then his tongue flickered out to taste the air. Releasing a long, low hiss, he said quietly, "Aren't you Simba, the king of the Pride Lands?"

"Yes," Simba said, eyes fixed cautiously on the snake. "And that is my grandson, Daka. And I won't allow any harm to come to either him or Azizi. Stay away from them..." With that low threat, Simba leapt down into the cavern and slowly began to move toward the three frozen figures, stopping a short distance away with his eyes flicking in between the tensed serpent and the two shivering cubs.

"Prince Daka?" the mamba hissed, eying the mahogany-colored cub with new interest. "And Azizi... as in the daughter of King Msafiri? How surprising… I didn't realize that I was about to eat royalty..."

"Grandpa…" Daka whimpered, pressing his side against Azizi's. "He can't eat us!"

"If you even _try_ to eat them you won't live to see another day," Simba growled, stalking forward a few short paces with every one of his muscles tensed. Daka, through his fear, was astonished by how dangerous his grandfather looked. Dangerous was not a word he'd ever thought fit his grandpa before this moment, but there was no other word for the deadly grace with which Simba was moving, holding himself as though ready to launch forward the instant he needed to do so.

"If you attack me, neither will you," Mauja replied, narrowing his eyes and hissing briefly. "I will bite if you attack. I can strike all three of you before you lay a claw on me. You would not survive the day. My kind's venom is so potent that a bite from one of us is considered the Kiss of Death."

"That might be true, but I could still deal you a mortal blow before the poison could take effect, couldn't I?" Simba said in a dark tone. Mauja remained silent aside from a faint hiss, and Simba took that as a confirmation. Then the king continued more evenly, "But it doesn't have to come to that. Neither you nor I would gain anything from all three of us being stricken and then my killing you before your poison killed us all. If that happened, all four of us would be dead." Simba's voice lowered, becoming something between an order and a desperate request. "Let them go. They are just cubs. And if you let them go, all four of us live."

Mauja froze and his jaw tightened at the reminder of the young age of the two cubs. But then he rallied and said fiercely, "I have hunted them in a chase that exhausted us all. They trespassed in my territory. Why should I give up my prey? You have no way to command me here, this land is not part of your kingdom, and I cannot be punished as the laws of your lands decree. And as for killing me before the poison takes effect, I believe I have a fair chance of dodging any of your attacks. Black mambas are extremely fast, as I'm sure you've heard."

"But you can't guarantee that!" Simba snapped, a faint growl rumbling in his chest. As Mauja's gaze fixed on his unwaveringly, and as Daka realized that Mauja was not going to back down, a strange look came over Simba's face, one of almost resignation, as he seemed to come to an idea, one that from his expression was clearly one that he considered a last resort. When he spoke, his voice was quiet once again. "If you let them go, and if you give them enough time to head back home that I know you can't catch up to by then, that they're safe, then I will let you have me without a fight."

Mauja's eyes widened in shock as Daka and Azizi stared in incomprehension. "What?" the serpent asked blankly.

"If you want a source of prey, I am much more... filling... then any two cubs could ever be. And as for trespassing on your territory, they can't be held responsible for that. They're just cubs who went exploring, do they deserve to die for that? If you need to punish someone for their trespass, then I'll take responsibility for their actions." Simba's expression was dark, his eyes pained, and it was clear that there was a part of him that was utterly terrified at the thought of the death a black mamba would deal. But the strongest of the emotions to be seen in the Lion King's face were ones of resignation and resolution- and, most of all, fierce protectiveness.

"Grandpa, no!" Daka yelled in horror as he realized what his grandfather was saying. "No, don't! I won't let you!" The cub felt a sob rising in his throat and made no effort to restrain it. He didn't care who heard him crying. He couldn't let his grandpa, his wonderful, loving grandpa who played with him and told him stories and tickled him and cared for him as deeply as Daka's parents' did, die. He couldn't! "Don't!" Daka's voice broke once again.

"Simba, what..." Azizi trailed off, nearly as horrified as Daka was.

"You would..." Mauja broke off and just stared in astonishment, and then continued in a hesitant, uncertain tone, as though he wasn't sure he had understood Simba's meaning. "You would take these cubs' place as my meal? You would die in their place if I let them go?"

"Yes," Simba answered quietly but firmly. "If you allow them to get far enough away that there's no chance you could chase after them and catch them too after I am dealt with, I will let you strike me. I give my word that I will not try to harm you as the poison takes effect. I'm a much larger meal than they are." He paused for a long moment. "Please, take me, but let the cubs go."

"Grandpa..." Daka's legs would no longer hold him, so he sank down on his stomach. He was shaking, his breath coming in quick, broken gasps, and he could feel tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Nothing else that had happened today could compare to the feeling of terror and pain Daka felt now, as if his heart was being wrenched apart by the sacrifice his grandpa was about to make. "No..."

Mauja stared at Simba for a long few seconds, his dark eyes stunned. "I believe you," the serpent hissed quietly. "I believe you would do this, that you would allow me to kill you and would not attack me while you died, in exchange for the safety of these cubs." He paused, his eyes fixed on Simba's for a long moment. He looked from the king to the two cubs, first meeting Daka's desperation-filled eyes, then Azizi's, and then he returned his gaze to Simba. Another moment passed before he said softly, "But I will not accept your offer."

"Listen, what do you have to gain from my attacking you if you don't take this chance?" Simba demanded, though there was some definite pleading in his voice. "Then everyone of us dies!"

"You misunderstand... your majesty," Mauja said, in nearly a whisper. He blinked slowly as he dropped closer to the ground, relaxing from his strike-ready pose. His demeanor was no longer threatening, and his words were spoken softly. "Just this once... I will tolerate trespass, which was done in ignorance and without malice. I have mice to feed on, and no lack of them. I don't need a meal today."

"What..." Now Simba was the one who didn't know how to respond. "What are you saying?"

Mauja drew back, putting some distance between himself and the cubs. "I am saying that I will not strike any of you. I will not kill any of you. I am saying you are free to go. Leave my territory, and do not return, and I will forgive this trespass this one time." He paused once more. "If you linger, I will kill you. But if you leave this place by the time the moon has reached the center of the sky, I will not harm any of you." He hissed lightly. "It is just after midday now, is it not? I believe you have plenty of time."

"You're letting us go?" Daka asked shakily, still crouched on the ground. He slowly tried to stand, but could only raise halfway out of his crouch, his legs refusing to allow any more effort than that. He was still trembling, had never stopped, and the fear that still caused his heart to pound and his breath to come unevenly was only slightly abated by hope. He could hardly believe what Mauja seemed to be saying. "You won't eat us or hurt my grandpa?"

"...No, young one, I will not," Mauja said, his voice still quiet, but carrying the weight of a solemn promise. "I will not apologize for defending my territory, for attacking those who intrude upon it. It is in my nature to do so, and it is in my nature to kill and feed. But that does not mean I can't show mercy to those who deserve it."

The cavern was silent for a moment as the lions stared at the snake, trying to process his words through their disbelief. Daka couldn't believe it. Was their hunter, this terrifying snake who had tried to kill him and Azizi, who his grandfather had been about to allow to kill him instead, really letting them go? Was he really, as he said, showing them mercy because he believed they deserved it?

Then Mauja turned once more to Simba, who was frozen in astonishment. "The Pride Lands are as lucky as they say, to have a king such as you," he said with a soft hiss. "I am glad. I will take my leave now. Farewell. And, as I said, leave the Elephant Graveyard before moon-high. You will not get a second reprieve." Those final words, though they were spoken in clear sincerity, seemed less in threat than in the manner of stating fact, less to frighten than to warn. And then Mauja the black mamba dipped his head in a shallow but unmistakable bow of respect to Simba.

With one last hiss, and as all three lions stared in shock, Mauja turned and slithered toward the cave exit, leaving them unharmed.

"What is your name?" Simba called suddenly after the serpent.

The snake paused briefly, halfway inside the tunnel, and he twisted his head around to look back, his dark eyes glinting faintly in the dim light. "My name is Mauja," he answered. "Well met, King Simba."

And then, without another word, he vanished into the gloom of the tunnel as silently as a shadow.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mauja, coiled loosely on a raised flat stone, watched from a distance as Simba climbed up the tall hill that led to the border between the Elephant Graveyard and the Pride Lands. The Lion King was carrying his grandson, Daka, in his jaws, and was traveling up the hill with some difficulty, as he was trying to stay steady enough that he didn't knock Azizi off of his back, which was where the female cub was perched. Mauja supposed that Simba hadn't been able to carry both cubs in his mouth at the same time, but hadn't been willing to leave one of them alone at the bottom of the hill for any amount of time.

Mauja could hardly blame him for not fully trusting his word not to harm any of them, though he hoped that it was less a matter of not believing the mamba would stick to his promise than it was a matter of not being willing to take even the slightest chance that he wouldn't. He was sure that Simba would not want to risk the cubs' safety in any way. But he need not have worried on that account; Mauja would not break his word, and he had no desire to do so. As the golden lion reached the crest of the hill and crossed over it, heading into the Pride Lands and out of sight, Mauja let out a quiet hiss, feeling strangely pleased.

He was glad that the three lions were safe now, and relieved that there had been no reason for him to hold to his threat of attacking them if they did not leave before moon-high. It wasn't even twilight yet, as far as he could see through the mist and clouds. He could have given them a shorter dead-line, because he had been certain they would not be lingering for the remaining hours it would take for moon-high to come. But he hadn't wanted to end their lives, not any longer, trespassers or not. All three of them, and especially the king, had impressed Mauja to a degree that shocked the black mamba. He would not be forgetting this day, or those lions, for a very long time.

With one last look after the three lions, one brave-hearted, loyal and selfless adult, and two courageous, ingenious little cubs, Mauja nodded to himself, then turned and slithered back into the depths of the Elephant Graveyard.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

"I was three months older than you are when I got into this much trouble," Simba grumbled as he and the two cubs began to make their way across the Pride Lands in the direction of Pride Rock, the border just a few feet behind them.

Daka dipped his head to look at the ground, knowing his grandfather's comment was directed at him. "I'm sorry, Grandpa," he said quietly.

"Me too," Azizi added, her tail tip dragging on the ground behind her and her shoulders hunched in what seemed to be shame.

"What were either of you thinking?" Simba demanded, his tone suddenly sharp. "You both could have died!"

"We just wanted to explore it a little," Daka protested. "We didn't know it was dangerous."

Simba stared at them incredulously. "We've told you both so many times how dangerous the Elephant Graveyard is. What do you mean you didn't know?"

"I..." Daka swallowed. "I just thought... well, everyone says the hyenas are gone now, and I just thought they were the only trouble there..." He looked at the ground again awkwardly. "I thought that maybe you guys just hadn't been there since the hyenas left, and thought there was some kind of trouble when there wasn't. Azizi and I didn't run into anybody for so long back there, until..."

"Until you were hunted and almost killed by Mauja," Simba finished. Daka flinched as he heard the disappointment in his grandfather's voice. "You thought we were wrong, that you knew more than we did about a place you had never been, and then you both were nearly killed." Simba shook his head, his expression pained. "I thought you both had more sense than that."

"I'm sorry!" Daka exclaimed, feeling close to tears. "I didn't... I just wanted to have an adventure, I wanted to go exploring..."

"So did I," Azizi agreed quietly. "I'm sorry, Simba, really. I just-" She sighed and trailed off.

"We were all afraid we'd lost you both," Simba told them in a low voice. "Your parents were in a panic, Daka, and so were your aunt and grandmother. And so was I. None of us could stand to lose you, either of you." He glanced at the morose lioness cub. "Azizi... your father needs you. If something happened to you, I don't think he'd ever be the same."

Azizi whimpered, flattening her ears. "I know," she said sadly. "I didn't mean to worry him..."

"Are Mom and Dad okay?" Daka asked in guilty concern. "I'm really sorry I scared you guys. I didn't mean to, really! I just wanted to go on an adventure..."

Simba sighed, looking from one cub for a moment, his expression caught between understanding and residual fear and worry. "Yes, they're fine. They're worried, but they'll be alright, once they see you are, Daka." He paused. "And I can't exactly blame you. I did the same thing when I was a cub, Nala and I went into the Elephant Graveyard. You know that story already, Daka. And we were nearly killed. After that, I knew how dangerous it was to go on an adventure to a place I'd been told not to... though I can't honestly say I was never tempted to do something dangerous again. Especially since it stills occasionally happens now." He shook his head with an extremely brief chuckle, then continued, "I can't promise you won't get in trouble for this, and I don't intend to try and keep your parents from grounding you if they decide to. But I want you both to promise you won't ever do something like this again, going somewhere we told you was dangerous."

"I won't," Daka promised. "I'll never go back to the Elephant Graveyard again, or any place like it." He fully meant it, too. He'd been more afraid then he'd known it was possible to be while Mauja had chased them, and though they were now almost certainly going to be grounded, he found he didn't really care. They weren't snake food, and next to that, a grounding was nothing.

"Neither will I," Azizi added. "I shouldn't have gone at all..." Simba nodded, accepting their words. Then Azizi swallowed suddenly, loud enough to be heard by the other two, and when she spoke again, her voice was shaking, "Mauja nearly killed all of us. We almost died..."

"I'm sorry you went through that," Simba said quietly. He paused in his walking to nuzzle Daka, and then, after a brief hesitation, to nuzzle Azizi as well. "But you're both safe now, I promise."

The three of them continued on toward Pride Rock for a few moments before Daka spoke up, hesitant and shaky as he asked a painful question. "Grandpa... why'd you go and tell Mauja you'd... let him kill you?"

"I had to save you both," Simba answered, looking down at the cubs seriously. "My life doesn't matter nearly as much as yours do."

"Yes, it does!" Daka exclaimed, horrified. "You're my grandpa! And if you'd died, it would have been my fault!"

Simba froze, his expression abruptly one of absolute horror, and then he turned to look directly at Daka, catching his eyes and holding them. "No, Daka, never!" he said fervently. "No matter what, if I had died, it would _never_ have been your fault. Neither of you would have been to blame, at all." He shook his head, sharply. "Never believe it would have been."

Daka stared in surprise at Simba, wondering what was making his grandfather speak so fiercely. Simba was nearly shaking with emotion. "Okay," Daka said quickly, confused. "Okay, I won't. I promise."

"Me too," Azizi agreed, also watching Simba in surprise.

Simba sighed heavily and relaxed somewhat, though he still seemed a little shaky. "Alright, good. Come on, then, you two, let's get back."

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Mikazo was pacing some distance inside the Outlands, scanning the horizon in every direction for some sign of Daka and Azizi. His pelt was prickling in alarm as more and more time passed and they hadn't found the cubs or heard word back from anyone who had. Kimada, Zawadi, and Voninahitra were all some distance away, within shouting distance but still far enough away that if the land was not so flat, they might not have been able to see each other. Each of them were searching a different area of the Outlands with increasing worry.

None of them had had any luck in finding the cubs yet, and Mikazo was becoming close to panicked. He didn't want to believe that anything was happening to the cubs, but his worry was causing him to imagine some rather horrible scenarios that they could be caught in at that very moment. Everything from landslides and river rapids to deep pits to hungry hyenas, violent leopards, and massive crocodiles... Really, the list was endless, and those thoughts were doing nothing to calm Mikazo's alarm.

The Outlands were the same barren, dusty landscape Mikazo remembered from when he had first arrived in the Pride Lands, around a month and a half ago. It had been through the Outlands he had first crossed the border into the Pride Lands, and he hadn't been terribly impressed with the out-laying region then, either. It was very flat, and it was easy to see very far, but they couldn't find any sign that either cub had ever been anywhere near this part of the Outlands. Though it was still quite dusty, somehow- or maybe the word was _grainy_, almost like wet sand- the rainy season had turned areas of it into thick bogs of sucking mud, and Mikazo shivered slightly at the thought of Daka and Azizi getting caught in one of those quicksand-like nightmares.

Suddenly a lion's roar rang out from the south, echoing out from the Pride Lands, and Mikazo spun around, his eyes widening. He recognized the voice that roar belonged to as Simba's, and he knew what the call had to mean. Grinning widely as the roar sounded out again, Mikazo realized that Simba must have found Daka and Azizi. Stepping forward on legs that felt weak with relief, Mikazo called out to the others, "Did you hear that?"

"We sure did!" Kimada's voice was nearly a shout, and exuberant. "That was Simba!"

"He found them, didn't he?" Zawadi asked. She laughed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Come on, let's go!" With grins as wide as the one Mikazo was sporting, she and Kimada both started running. They were all deeply relieved, and Mikazo wanted to get back to Pride Rock as quickly as they could so that he could see for himself, reassure himself, that his two young friends were alright.

"Wait for me!" Voninahitra called, also grinning and clearly pleased. He raced over to Mikazo's side and sprang up onto his shoulders, and then the four of them hurried back into the Pride Lands toward Pride Rock, leaving the Outlands behind.


	29. Consequences

**Hi, everyone! I hope you'll enjoy the latest installment!**

Simba was waiting on Pride Rock's promontory, sitting in front of the entrance to the cave as he watched the Savannah below for any sign of his pride mates returning, alerted by his roar. Next to him were Daka and Azizi. His grandson was sitting with his ears down and his shoulders hunched, clearly aware that when his parents did get back to Pride Rock and found him, that he would almost certainly be in considerable trouble for the danger he had put himself in. Azizi laid next to the young prince, her head resting on her paws, and her expression preoccupied and sad.

Simba sighed. He could easily understand the two cubs' worry about their approaching scoldings. He could well remember many of the scoldings he had gotten from his mother and father when he'd been a cub, one of the most notable being after his and Nala's near deaths in the Elephant Graveyard. It was never something that was fun for a cub, or for anyone of any age, actually, to be reprimanded. Though what Simba wouldn't give to have the chance to talk to his father again, even if it came in the form of a scolding.

It was after mid-day now and glints of sunlight were visible through the rain clouds, though it was clear the brief reprieve from heavy rain would soon end. It was bound to start raining heavily again at any time.

As he looked out over the Savannah, seeing herds and singular animals both prey and predator, he finally spotted the return of some of his pride mates. It took him a moment from this distance and the dark cast by the clouds, but he recognized the approaching figures as Kudura, Nyota, and Huni. They were the earliest to return because they had been searching one of the areas that was closest to Pride Rock.

All three lionesses hurried up the slope, greeting Daka and Azizi with relief, and asked Simba what happened. He gave as quick an explanation as he could, promising to explain fully once everyone was present. He knew that they'd all want to hear the story in its entirety, and he didn't want to tell it multiple times if he didn't need to. At least he'd wait until Kiara, Kovu, and Msafiri arrived. They would need to hear the story most of all because it was their children that were involved.

Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu were the next group to return, having hurried back to Pride Rock from out near Five Stones. All three were clearly relieved, though Timon couldn't help cracking a remark about the trouble Simba had managed to get into when he and Pumbaa had been raising him, back when he'd been a cub. "Like grandfather like cub," Timon announced, and Simba resisted the urge to give his meerkat friend a playful swat. After them, several other lionesses, both young and old, who had joined the search returned from various directions all around the Pride Lands.

Finally, Kiara and Kovu appeared, both lions running so fast they were blurs as they raced back toward Pride Rock. Some distance farther away and approaching from another direction, but still close enough to be seen, was the group made up of Kukimbia, Mwezi, and Msafiri, the latter of which was clearly the most desperate of the three, bounding frantically through the Savannah toward the Pride Landers' home. Simba knew that Msafiri had been, and still was, as worried about his daughter as Kiara and Kovu were about their son.

That was nearly everyone at Pride Rock by then. The only ones still missing were Nala and Vitani, who had been checking around the gorge and would surely be here momentarily, and Mikazo, Kimada, Zawadi, and the lemur Voninahitra, who were also likely not far away now.

Kiara and Kovu raced up the slope to the promontory, both of them panting from their wild run, and Simba watched as both sets of eyes fixed immediately on their son, whose head jerked around as they arrived. "Daka!" Kiara exclaimed, her voice breaking in relief.

"Where were you?" Kovu asked unevenly as they hurried over to the cub.

"Mom! Dad!" Daka completely forgot his hesitation over his nearly certain scolding in the face of seeing his parents again after the terror he had gone through today. He threw himself into his parents, nuzzling into their chests as they crouched down and rubbed their heads against him with something like desperation. They stayed that way for several seconds, shaking purrs coming from them all.

"Where were you, Daka?" Kiara repeated her mate's question, still nuzzling her muzzle against the side of her cub's head, inhaling his scent with closed eyes. Simba could see that both she and Kovu were trembling, most likely with both relief and the remains of fear.

"I was..." Daka hesitated, glanced back at his grandfather, and then swallowed and spoke even before Simba could. His voice was quiet and shaky, but it seemed he had decided to own up to their forbidden adventure without making Simba tell of it. "I was in the Elephant Graveyard with Azizi."

"_What?_"

Daka winced and dropped his gaze at his parents' simultaneous shouts of horror. The cub made an incomprehensible mutter, his expression uncomfortable and resigned, but he didn't speak up loudly enough to be heard. He didn't really get much of a chance, anyway.

"You went to the Elephant Graveyard?" Kiara repeated in shock, her voice trailing off faintly. "Daka, what..."

"The Elephant Graveyard, of all places!" Kovu was just as stunned as Kiara, and his eyes were wide, filled with both horror and anger as well as fear. His tone became sharp as he continued, "How many times have we told you never to go there, Daka? And you went there anyway?"

"I'm sorry," Daka answered with a bowed head as he stood quietly before his parents. Shoulders slumped, the cub watched as Msafiri reached the top of the slope and was met by Azizi, who sprang upward and all but clung to her father's mane as he crouched down. Msafiri, after a moment of holding his cub, pulled away slightly, and Simba could just hear the other king asking his daughter what had happened. Daka continued quietly, still watching Azizi and Msafiri, apparently reluctant to look up at his parents. "I just wanted to go exploring, I didn't think it was dangerous."

"Daka, how could you not think it would be dangerous?" Kiara demanded, anger, disbelief, and worry evident in her features. "How could you ignore everything we've told you about that place?"

Daka grimaced uncomfortably but didn't answer.

"You're not stupid, Daka, and I can't believe you'd do something so..." Kovu broke off and shook his head, his jaw clenched tightly. "What in the world were you thinking? You easily could have been hurt, or even killed!"

Daka flinched and looked up then, briefly meeting his parents' eyes before swallowing heavily. "Uh... well, we..." he started to say, and then trailed off, clearly unable to bring himself to explain about the danger he and Azizi really had ended up involved in.

"You never should have gone there," Kovu insisted. "Wandering around the Pride Lands is one thing, and you're not even supposed to go really far from Pride Rock without an adult, but the Elephant Graveyard? Daka, I can't believe you would disobey us so blatantly, and even worse, put yourself into danger on top of that! " Kovu's voice rose slightly, shaking from emotion, as he exclaimed, "Anything could have happened!"

"I know," Daka said quietly. "Something kinda did... well..."

Simba moved forward with quiet steps as his grandson stuttered to a stop. "There's more to it than just that," he told them, raising his voice to include Msafiri. "Something happened in the Elephant Graveyard."

"What do you mean?" Kiara asked, her eyes widening in fresh alarm. She exchanged a look with Kovu, whose own expression was a mixture of wariness, worry, and frustration. "What happened?"

Simba sighed and sat down as Msafiri came over with Azizi. "Azizi hasn't gotten around to that part of the story, yet," Msafiri said, his tone both concerned and disapproving as he looked down at his daughter. "So I'd be quite interested to hear this myself."

Simba caught the eyes of both cubs, who nodded their permission for him to take over. "Well, when Daka and Azizi were in the Elephant Graveyard, they ran into a... a snake."

Kovu stared at Simba for a moment, clearly catching onto his hesitance and realizing that whatever had happened, it had been very bad indeed. "What kind of snake, Simba?" he asked in a flat tone, and Simba got the impression that his son-in-law was struggling to control his panic.

Kiara and Msafiri both looked extremely alarmed, as well, and Simba felt his heart lurch as he saw the terrified light in his daughter's eyes. He knew exactly what she was going through, the fear of nearly losing a cub. After all, he'd nearly lost her when she was just a cub herself. Simba drew a breath in through his teeth, bracing himself, then said, "A black mamba. He hunted them down, he was going to eat them." He watched as all three parents' eyes widened and their jaws dropped with horror. Kiara's ears pressed back flat against her head, and Kovu tried to swallow and speak, but couldn't seem to manage.

"A black mamba?" Msafiri asked after a moment, his voice suddenly a quiet rasp and his expression drawn. "A black mamba hunted Azizi?"

"Daka..." Kiara choked back a whimper as she tugged Daka toward her until he was underneath her chest as she crouched. Kovu's legs were stiff as he stared down at Daka, pained and afraid.

"It's okay, Mom!" Daka exclaimed, lifting a paw up to place on her fore-leg. "We ran and got away, and then he let us go!"

"Nothing about a black mamba chasing you is okay," Kovu corrected, his tail twitching with nervous energy. "If it had bitten you..." He froze, nearly choking as a thought occurred to him and his eyes darted back and forth as he began scanning his son's pelt frantically. "It didn't bite you, Daka, did it?"

"No, he didn't!" Daka said hastily. "I'm not hurt, really."

"It was a close thing," Simba told them. "But no, he didn't bite them."

"Oh, thank goodness..." Msafiri closed his eyes, his breath coming out in a shaky exhale.

A moment passed as both Kovu and Kiara regathered themselves, as well, before Kiara asked Daka, "What do you mean, he let you go?"

"He decided not to attack us," Azizi explained. "He said... he would show mercy to us, that he shows mercy to those who deserve it. That he didn't need a... a meal today." She paused, then looked at Simba. "That's what he said, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Simba agreed, nodding.

"But why?" Msafiri asked, clearly bewildered. "A black mamba let you go? And by that... I presume you mean that this snake had you both cornered?"

"Yeah," Daka said quietly. "We ran from him, and ended up in a big cave thing, with no way out. Mauja was heading for us, and he was gonna eat us." He blinked and looked up. "Uh, Mauja's the snake, you know. He told us, before he started chasing us."

Kovu blinked. "What a minute, he told you his name before he started trying to eat you?" His son nodded and Kovu stared. "Well... huh, that's a weird snake."

"You don't know the half of how strange that snake is," Simba said. "I'd been sure that he was going to try to kill us, and instead, he let us go." He paused. "I'd tried to make him a deal, my life in exchange for the cubs', and that seemed to be what decided it for him." 

All three of the other adults reacted with shock to this.

"Daddy, you..." Kiara broke off and closed her eyes. "Of course you did, with Daka and Azizi in so much danger." The golden lioness swallowed with difficulty, and when she opened her eyes, they were glistening. "Thank you, Father."

"Yes," Msafiri agreed, staring at Simba with astonishment. "Thank you. You would have died to save them, and one of these cubs is my daughter. I can't ever repay a debt like that."

Simba smiled slightly. "You're welcome, though there was never really a choice to be made. And besides, there's no debt to repay, especially since I'm still alive."

"Thanks, Simba," Kovu said quietly. He laughed suddenly, though it was extremely brief. "Man, my mother really couldn't have been more wrong about what kind of lion you are. She was wrong about so many things." His eyes darkened momentarily with memories, and then he refocused on Simba. "So what happened then? You said that your offer, your deal, seemed to decided it for this snake, Mauja?"

"Yeah, after that he..." Simba shook his head in disbelief. "Well, he told me he wouldn't accept my offer, and that he'd allow us to leave despite our trespassing." He paused. "I think maybe it had a lot to do with how young Daka and Azizi are. That seemed to bother him while I was talking to him, and Daka mentioned that Mauja hadn't seemed happy about it earlier either. And I think he was surprised by my offer."

Azizi nodded. "He was, definitely. Mauja didn't attack any of us. I think it was because he was impressed with Simba, don't you, Daka?"

"Yeah, of course he was!" Daka agreed wholeheartedly. "My grandpa's awesome!"

"Nice to be loved," Simba said with a smile. He sighed. "Anyway, that's really all that happened. Mauja left and told us to leave by moon-high or he'd attack us. We got out with plenty of time, obviously. And I think he knew we would."

"I'm just so glad you're alright," Kiara said, nuzzling Daka again. She smiled at Azizi in relief. "Both of you. All of you."

"So am I," Kovu agreed, though his expression was somewhat more serious than Kiara's. "But you're not allowed anywhere near the Elephant Graveyard, Daka, not now, and not later." He scoffed. "Honestly, someone else can do the patrol there when you're an adult, because you _still _won't be allowed there even then."

"Um..." Daka ducked his head. "Alright, I don't want to go back there anyway. I already promised grandpa I wouldn't."

"So did I," Azizi told her father as he looked down at her, clearly about to speak. "I mean it, too, Dad, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Azizi," Msafiri said quietly. "Why in the world did you go there in the first place?"

"I just..." Azizi hesitated and shot a look at Daka. "Uh... It seemed like an interesting place to visit, and fun to explore, and I just didn't... listen to what you'd said about how dangerous it was. I'm sorry."

"It was my idea, Msafiri," Daka told him quickly. "I mean, Azizi did agree, but I talked her into it. She told me that you guys all said it was dangerous, that we weren't supposed to go there, and I said that I didn't see why that was." He paused, his shoulders hunched and ears flattened in obvious nervousness, then said with apparent effort, "It's my fault way more than Azizi's. She just went along with me, I came up with the idea."

"I didn't have to go with you, Daka!" Azizi insisted. "You didn't make me, I went with you because I thought it sounded like fun."

"But you didn't want to go at first, I did talk you into it." Daka was staring at the rock floor of the promontory, but it seemed to Simba that his grandson was determined to be as honest as possible, even if he felt as though it would get him into deeper trouble. Simba, despite his disappointment in Daka's actions today, felt a glow of pride for his grandson.

"Yeah, but..." Azizi shook her head and trailed off.

No sooner had she finished speaking then Nala and Vitani appeared, running up the slope, both huffing and out of breath from their run. Simba had been so focused on the conversation that he hadn't even noticed their approach. Neither, it seemed, had anyone else.

"Grandma, Aunt Vitani!" Daka called, and hurried up to them. Both lionesses nuzzled him, and Simba watched with some surprise as even Vitani threw all restraint to the wind as she rubbed her cheek against her nephew, purring. He supposed even the normally reticent sister of Kovu had been, after all, just as worried about Daka as the rest of them. Perhaps it shouldn't be such a shock that she'd be so openly affectionate with her nephew just now.

"Simba, you found them!" Nala's voice shook with relief, and she closed her eyes briefly. "Oh, thank the Great Kings..." Nala started licking Daka's ears and brushing her muzzle against his cheek.

Simba watched both lionesses for a moment, then glanced out over the Savannah in the direction of the Outlands. Just Kimada's group was left. They were the only ones who hadn't yet returned, though they'd be back soon, he knew.

"What in the world happened?" Vitani demanded, pulling her head back to stand up straight, her electric blue eyes flashing. "Daka, where have you been, kid?"

"They were in the Elephant Graveyard," Kovu told the two with obvious displeasure. "That's where Simba found them."

"The Elephant Graveyard?" Nala exclaimed as Vitani groaned and ran a paw down her face. Nala's eyes darted from Daka to Azizi and back. "You went to the..." She broke off and looked up at Simba, staring at him for a moment. Her mouth opened slightly as her ears folded back, clearly alarmed by what she read in his expression. "Simba, something happened there, didn't it?"

Simba nodded once, fighting back the urge to sigh again. "Of course it did. That's just the sort of luck we all seem to have, isn't it?"

Quickly, he explained to Nala and Vitani the same thing he had explained to the others present, about Mauja, how the snake had hunted the cubs, and how he had let them go in the end. Both Nala and Vitani were shocked by the near miss with Mauja, and deeply relieved that neither cub had been harmed. Vitani made it clear that if Mauja had hurt either one of the cubs, or if he'd taken Simba's deal and killed him, she would have tracked down the serpent herself and murdered him. Simba had no doubt that the rough-edged lioness would have done just that, and judging by the fire flaring in Nala's eyes, she would have had quite a willing partner in that. He decided not to point out that killing Mauja after he accepted Simba's deal would have been breaking an assumption the deal made; that Mauja would get out of the whole thing alive. He didn't really think that any of them there, least of all Nala, would have been willing to let his death go without retribution. He could certainly understand that mind-set. If one of his pride mates had been in his place and Mauja had decided to take the deal and their life, he wouldn't have been able to do nothing.

Thankfully, all of that had been avoided. As ready as he had been if it meant saving Daka and Azizi, he really had not been looking forward to the horrific death a black mamba's bite would bring. He knew it was a painful way to go, one that could be shockingly fast but still drag out for long, agonizing hours.

Once all of that had been settled, and Nala and Vitani had recovered from the shock of hearing where the cubs had been and what had nearly happened, they all returned to the conversation as it had been before his mate's and son-in-law's sister's arrival.

"You are right, Azizi, that it was your choice to go with Daka," Msafiri confirmed, in response to the last thing his daughter had said. "And it was as dangerous an idea for you to go along with as it was for Daka to come up with."

Azizi nodded silently, turning her own gaze to the ground.

"Daka, we can't let this go without punishing you, you know," Kovu told his son. Simba noticed that the younger lion still looked both horrified and slightly angry, as well as almost affronted. "We told you never to go to the Elephant Graveyard, how dangerous it was, and you said that you didn't see why that was? You thought we were... what, joking? Pretending it wasn't safe when it really was?"

"No, of course not!" Daka exclaimed. He lifted a fore-paw and ran it along the stone in front of him, scuffing it along the water droplets left by the still-falling rain. It was clear he was feeling uncomfortable and awkward. "I just thought that, well, that... maybe you were wrong?" He seemed aware that saying that wasn't much better than thinking they'd been kidding, and ducked his head further. "I just thought that maybe you guys hadn't been to the Graveyard since the hyenas left. I didn't know there were other dangerous things in there other than hyenas..."

"So, you didn't think we were kidding, you just thought we were misinformed," Kovu said flatly, staring at his son with clear disappointment. "Daka... Really, do you think we're that stupid that we wouldn't even know if there was danger in an place like that or not?"

"I don't think you're stupid!" Daka shook his head as his eyes snapped up to meet his father's, wide and horrified. "Really! I just..." He broke off and closed his eyes with a sigh. "I don't know. I just wanted to explore there, and I didn't think there might be things other than hyenas, and the hyenas were gone, but I didn't think you guys were stupid, I swear. I just..." Daka gave up trying to explain, clearly unable to find the words.

"Alright, Daka, we know you don't really think we're stupid," Kiara said with a frown. "I know that, and so does your dad, but that doesn't explain how you could think we were so wrong about something. Because you didn't trust what we told you, that it was dangerous there, that you could get hurt, and to stay away... because you ignored all of that, you nearly died." The Pride Lands' princess gave her head a slight shake. "I don't know what to say about that. Daka, you have to listen to us and believe us when we tell you something is dangerous! Next time, you might really get killed. You could die, and your father and I... What would we do, then, if we lost you?"

"I'm sorry," Daka whispered. "I'll listen to you from now on, I promise. If you say somewhere is dangerous, I won't go there, no matter how interesting it looks. I really won't."

Kovu heaved a sigh, his shoulders lifting and then falling as he closed his eyes for a moment. "Alright, good. And I guess that's all we can hope for from here on, that you do listen to us." He paused. "You should have believed us about the Graveyard, Daka, without thinking we were wrong. But I guess we could have explained just what was dangerous about it, now that the hyenas are gone. Black mambas aren't even the only danger there, you know. There are other things, but you _did_ manage to run into the most dangerous thing there." He frowned and narrowed his eyes, the movement causing the scar over his left eye to crinkle slightly. "But you'll still in trouble, Daka. You have to stay in the cave and on the promontory for two weeks. You're not allowed out in the Savannah, except when you need to make dirt, and even then, either your mother or I will go with you." As Daka lowered his head with a sigh of resignation, Kovu glanced at Kiara. "Anything to add?"

She nodded. "Just one thing. Daka, you need to make sure you don't bother anyone who's staying around the promontory, like anyone resting here or lounging in the sun-" She glanced up at the rainclouds. "-well, what little sun there is right now, anyway, no matter how bored you get. It wouldn't be much of a punishment if you got to play with Azizi, and Kimada, Mikazo, and the others all the time, would it?"

"So I... I can't play with anyone at all for two whole weeks?" Daka asked in something akin to horror.

Kiara hesitated and glanced at Kovu. Kovu pulled a face and shrugged, looking uncertain but apparently leaving the decision to her. Kiara sighed and looked back at Daka. "How about this... you can play with your friends, but only in the cave or on the promontory, and only for a bit a day, alright? Maybe an hour or two, we'll decide how much later. And after that time runs out, you can't play with them for the rest of that day."

"Alright," Daka muttered morosely, clearly unhappy but not willing to argue further. "But I haven't had to have anyone go with me when I go to... to make dirt in weeks! I'm a big boy now, and that would be so embarrassing! Do I really have to do that?"

"Yes," Kovu said, and Daka's expression dropped, his mortification obvious. Kovu hesitated again, then raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression somewhere between amused and still disappointed, and said, "But I suppose we don't have to be with you every step of the way. When you need to go, tell us and we'll wait on Pride Rock. If you're not back within a few minutes, we'll come down to the dirt-grounds and check on you, alright? That way we can make sure you're back in the cave after you're done and don't stay out to play, but we aren't watching you as you go or walking with you along the way."

Daka perked up considerably. "Alright," he agreed with a fervent nod. "That's much better! I'm way too big for my parents to be taking me to the dirt-grounds." He made a face at the thought. "And I won't try to stay out and play, I'll come back to the cave when I'm done."

"Good, thank you, Daka," Kiara said with a smile, though she still seemed shaken.

"Sounds fair to me," Kovu commented. He relaxed and sat down next to Kiara, lowering his head to nuzzle Daka once again, where the little cub crouched between Kiara's fore-paws.

"And Azizi," Msafiri spoke up as Daka returned his father's nuzzle, "as glad as I am that you are safe, that you're both safe..." Msafiri sighed. "...far more glad and relieved that I can begin to say, I don't think I have to tell you that you're not getting away from this without punishment either."

"I know..." Azizi said quietly.

"I believe that Kovu and Kiara's idea would work for you as well. You both did the same wrong, so you both earn the same punishment." Msafiri nodded slightly. "In two weeks, you'll be allowed back in the Savannah, just as Daka will be."

Azizi nodded again. "Alright. But the dirt-grounds part goes the same for me, right? Because that does sound embarrassing if it doesn't..."

Msafiri chuckled. "Yes, don't worry. That applies to you, as well."

Azizi sighed in relief, and Simba joined Nala and Vitani as they too crouched around Daka, next to Kovu and Kiara. All of them felt they needed to spend some time with the cub they all loved, and recover from nearly losing him.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

When Mikazo and his friends reached Pride Rock after hearing Simba's call, they found that they were the last to do so, having been in the Outlands while most of the rest of the pride had been searching within the Pride Lands, when their king's roar had sounded out.

Nearly the whole pride was gathered on the promontory and just down the slope from it, and as Mikazo, Kimada, Zawadi, and Voninahitra hurried up themselves, Mikazo caught sight of Daka and Azizi in the center of the congregation. Both cubs were surrounded by their families and pride mates. Kiara, Kovu, Simba and Nala were all talking to Daka and occasionally nuzzling him, while Vitani watched as she laid with her head on her paws and a small smile on her muzzle. Sarabi and Sarafina were there as well. The older lionesses were sitting beside Simba and Nala, who Mikazo knew were their respective children.

Msafiri was doing much the same with Azizi, talking with her and snuggling her against him, and Vema and Suluhu were crouched close by, watching with expressions of relief. It was very clear that everyone was thrilled that the cubs were back safely. And Mikazo and his friends were no exception. It was a massive weight lifted from Mikazo to see both cubs safe and unharmed.

But the part that had Mikazo's eyes widening was when he heard where the cubs had been and just what danger they had been in. Both Daka and Azizi had nearly been killed by a black mamba named Mauja, Simba had explained, and it was only because Mauja had decided to let them go without trying to bite any of them that they were all still alive. As the full story came out, complete with Simba's near sacrifice in place of the cubs, had Mikazo feeling a lump form in his throat. All three had come so close to death, and though the fact that Simba had been willing to die to save the cubs didn't come as the slightest surprise to Mikazo, it still made him feel ill that it had almost come to that.

Thank the Great Kings that Simba, Daka, and Azizi had made it back safely, and as Mikazo heard the story of how Mauja had let them go and why, he was surprised to find something to respect in an animal that had nearly killed three lions he cared about deeply. Black mambas were incredibly deadly, and it was beyond good that Mauja had decided to leave Simba and the cubs unharmed. One bite, Mikazo knew, would have been it.

Daka and Azizi had been grounded, he also learned. It was something neither cub had argued against, to Mikazo's slight surprise, though he supposed they knew just how scared they had made everyone and how near they had come to death because of their trip to a place both had been explicitly told to avoid, and so knew their punishment was justified as well as completely unavoidable. Once everyone had settled down, then Mikazo and his friends sat near the top of the slope that led to the promontory.

It was a short time after mid-day, and though Mikazo had completely forgotten in the wake of the day's events, he remembered then that a training session was meant to be planned for tonight, working with Simba, Nala, Kovu and Kiara and perhaps a few others to learn how to fight in half-light and in the dark. Of course, looking over at the Royal Family, all of whom still seemed rather shaken from Daka's near death, maybe it was best not to do the training session tonight. Mikazo decided he would talk to Simba about rescheduling it so that they could all calm their frayed nerves before jumping right back into training. He'd do that before it got much later, but for now he didn't want to interrupt them as they were still gathered around Daka, the family now laying down near the cave entrance in a large group.

Mikazo let out his breath in a deep sigh as he relaxed on the stone, laying beside Kimada and Zawadi and watching the two cubs from afar. Voninahitra had gone to near Pride Rock's promontory tip, where he liked to sit and look out at the Savannah. Mikazo figured it was probably because the lemur liked the height of it. It probably reminded him of the tall trees he'd lived in back on his island home. Whatever the reason, that was where Vonny was to be found, alternately watching the Savannah and the lions on the promontory.

Mikazo was so glad that the cubs weren't hurt, however close a call it had been. He wished he could say he was surprised at the danger they'd gotten themselves into, but the truth was that a few months back he would have likely done the exact same thing, had an Elephant Graveyard been so close to his own territory. He couldn't deny the fact that it sounded like an interesting place to visit, though he was also aware of the dangers such a place could present.

As it was, Mikazo supposed that he wouldn't go into such a dangerous place now for the sake of exploring... at least, not if Kimada and Zawadi didn't decide to go themselves. He smirked to himself slightly at the thought. Clearly, he'd try to talk them out of such a thing if they ever did think of it, but assuming he couldn't manage to dissuade them- which was a likely turnout, given how stubborn both Kimada and Zawadi could be- then he'd just have to go on the adventure with them. For the sake of keeping them out of trouble, of course. Not at all because he'd probably agree that wherever they were heading sounded as fun and interesting as it did dangerous. Nope, not in the least...

Mikazo blinked at his thoughts and decided that it was true; he had spent far too much time with Kimada and Zawadi. He would never be sane again. Oh, well, sanity was overrated. Still, he'd have to try to be the _most _sane one of the three. Someone had to, obviously, and it definitely wasn't going to be either one of the siblings.

He watched as Daka was nuzzled once again by Kiara. She hadn't been able to keep from nuzzling her son every few minutes, sometimes several times a minute, since Mikazo and the others had returned and heard what had happened. He could hardly blame Kiara, or any of the rest of Daka's family, for still being shaken. They had almost lost the irreplaceable little cub, after all, and that was something that would shake anyone to their core.

"It's really great that Daka and Azizi are okay," Kimada said quietly, voicing Mikazo's general thoughts. His best friend was laying next to him with his head resting on his fore-paws, his eyes on Daka, and flicking in between the mahogany cub and Azizi, who was curled with her father some distance away. "I was there when Daka was born, you know," Kimada continued suddenly. "Well, not right there, actually. Rafiki only allowed Simba, Nala, and Kovu in the cave while Kiara had Daka. He'd said that she needed all the space she could get, and it shouldn't be too crowded in there. But I was out here on the promontory when Daka was born, me and the rest of the pride. I really can't imagine this pride without the little guy anymore." He smiled. "So it's just really great it didn't end up that way."

"It sure is," Mikazo agreed.

Zawadi nodded. "Definitely. Daka's adorable, and a wonderful little cub. I'd hate for anything to ever happen to him." She paused. "I was there when Azizi was born, too, of course, since I'd been living with Msafiri's pride for a while by then. I watched her learn how to walk. Now _that _was an interesting sight! I've never seen anyone trip over their own paws and tail so often- or manage to be so cute." She smiled for a moment, and then her expression fell slightly as her eyes darkened briefly in sadness. "Of course, Masa got sick not long after her birth, with that infection or whatever... But at least we have Azizi, and I can't believe she was crazy enough to go to the Elephant Graveyard. I mean, she's usually a bit more... sensible, I guess, than that." She shrugged. "Still, can't really expect her to never act her age, however much she really surprises me with her maturity. Usually, anyway."

The three of them were silent for a few moments as they watched the others and the two cubs, as well as the lionesses who were beginning to mill around on the promontory. It seemed some of them were setting up a short hunt, and were heading out soon.

"So..." Kimada said slowly. "What now? Just hang around here for a bit until it's time for the training session?"

"I was actually thinking of asking Simba and the others to reschedule it for tomorrow, maybe," Mikazo put in, shaking his head. "I think they might need the night off after what nearly happened to the cubs. They don't need to spend time training me instead of spending it with Daka tonight. And Msafiri should be with Azizi, like I'm sure they both want."

"Oh, good point," Kimada agreed with a nod and a slight frown. "Yeah, that probably wouldn't be very right to ask of them..."

"That's very true," Zawadi said, throwing a glance toward the families and the cubs they were still gathered around, though they seemed to be settling down. "I'd say I'm surprised you thought of that, Mikazo, but... I guess I'm really not. You're not completely insensitive, after all." She paused briefly, then added with a shrug, "Even if you, like Kimada, are a bit thick-headed most of the time. Must be a male thing..."

"Hey!" Mikazo and Kimada exclaimed in unison, both of them giving her affronted looks. "Thick-headed?" Kimada then demanded with a scoff, though he looked slightly amused. "You're one to talk, sis..."

Zawadi continued briskly, not paying much attention to their protests or to Kimada's playful retort. "At least you're both more tolerable than a lot of the males I've met." She smirked. "Mostly anyway. You have your weird moments, the both of you. I think it's in the male genes, to be honest. You can't escape it... It's not entirely your fault, for that reason, but it's still fairly annoying to us females."

Kimada scoffed. "It is _not_ in the genes, and we are not weird. Okay, Mikazo is sometimes, but me? Never!"

"Hey!" Mikazo repeated, turning his glare onto Kimada this time. "If _I'm _weird, Kimada, then _you're_ beyond strange, just so you know."

Kimada waved a paw dismissively to cast away Mikazo's response, his gaze still fixed on his sister and his eyes narrowed. "Alright, fine, but the part I'm more interested in is this; just have many _males _have you met, Zawadi, and where can I find them? Because, I have to ask, do I need to track them down and murder them?"

Zawadi tilted her head, stifling a chuckle. "Murder them, huh?"

"Because if they caused you any trouble at all, I think it's worth mentioning that their fur will be scattered from here to Mount Kilimanjaro. That's what happens to anyone who messes with my little sister." Kimada's speech was said in a tone somewhere between joking and serious, and he was tapping one fore-paw on the promontory, his claws clicking lightly against the stone. "So, tell me, how close exactly were you to these, quote, '_males'_?"

Zawadi nodded slowly, her muzzle pressed tightly shut as she tried not to laugh. "Uh huh... Yes, well, as endearing as your brotherly over-protectiveness is, Kimada, they were just a few male rogues we met as they passed through our territory, and one that we met as we traveled. Most of them were irritating, and no, none of them tried anything. I can assure you if they had, I would have been the one to scatter them from here to Kilimanjaro with no help needed, don't worry. I can handle myself, thanks, and it would have been an instant and very messy death, the details of which would be far too horrific to go into." She cocked her head and smiled at her brother. "Does that make you feel better?"

"Oh, completely." Kimada grinned. "That's good to know!"

Mikazo had watched the exchange with wide eyes. He was feeling somewhere between deeply amused and somewhat frightened. These were his two best friends, after all... which wasn't entirely encouraging at the moment. "You both have some very violent tendencies, don't you?"

"Sometimes," Zawadi said promptly, turning to grin at him brightly. "I thought you'd caught onto that with my 'take over the world' idea. The world wouldn't go down all that peacefully, ya know."

"Nah, I thought that was just megalomania and insanity." Mikazo grinned as well. "Didn't know murderous thoughts of horrific messy deaths were thrown into the bargain."

"Oh, so if that's the case... are you going to try to leave the group?" Zawadi asked, narrowing her eyes menacingly and dropping into a shallow crouch. "Because that won't end well. Really, it won't. I'd tell you to ask the last six members before you that tried to leave exactly what I mean, but I'm afraid that's not possible for reasons I won't go into..."

"Oh, no, no way," Mikazo said quickly, leaning back on his haunches until his fore-paws were only touching the ground by their tips. "I'd never even think of it!"

"Uh, what 'take over the world' idea, what'd I miss?" Kimada asked with a grin, his eyes alight with interest. "Because that sounds like a good plan to me!"

"I thought he was already part of the group," Mikazo said to Zawadi, jerking his head at Kimada and lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh, he is," Zawadi agreed. "He just doesn't know it yet. He is the brother of the leader of the group... Automatic membership, don't you know."

Mikazo nodded. "Makes sense."

"Well, count me in as member number two!" Kimada laughed. He paused, then grinned smugly. "I outrank you, Mikazo, obviously, if Zawadi's the leader of the group. Second-in-command, buddy!" He whooped, and then burst out laughing. "That means you have to do anything we say, Mikazo. Sorry, pal!"

"Works for me." Zawadi nodded with a smirk.

"Hmph, third-in-command, huh?" Mikazo asked, folding his fore-legs and dropping his head onto them. He narrowed his eyes at the other two. "Well, alright then, for now. I'll work my way up, just watch me."

"You do that!" Kimada said, then added, "You know, when we take over the world, I'm renaming this place 'Kimada Land'. Much better ring to it than the Pride Lands, huh? What'dya think?"

Zawadi stared at him blankly. "Hmm, maybe we should rethink the world domination thing after all if you're going to be naming things like that."

"Not much worse than the name you gave our group, is it?" Mikazo asked, grinning. "The 'Dark Rulers of Eternal Night'. I still wince when I think of that name... The cliche-ness of it all..."

"Hush!" Zawadi swatted his shoulder with a paw, her eyes bright and her shoulders shaking as she tried not to laugh. "It's not that bad! And I told you we could possibly rename it, so stop complaining or I'll unleash my evil powers on you!"

Mikazo hesitated for a just an instant, then unable to resist the game, tossed himself at her paws and cowered on his stomach dramatically, his paws over his head, covering his eyes. "No, anything but that! Those powers are the nightmare of every being in existence, the bane of everything that breathes! Please be lenient, Lady Zawadi!"

Kimada and Zawadi both promptly sputtered on their laughter, Kimada dropping onto his side as he laughed, and Mikazo, grinning at the accomplishment, drew himself back to his paws and watched smugly as they struggled to regain their composure.

"Alright, I'll hold back my evil powers for now," Zawadi agreed cheerfully once she could speak clearly again. As Kimada sat back up, panting and grinning, Zawadi tilted her head thoughtfully. "...Lady Zawadi..." she mused. "You know, I could get used to that!"

"Oh, now look what you've gone and done!" Kimada said in mock-accusation to Mikazo, glaring at him and flattening his ears. "She'll never let this go now! She'll insist on being called Lady Zawadi for the rest of our lives!"

"Oh, count on it!" Zawadi exclaimed, and sniggered.

Kimada's eyes narrowed further.

Mikazo grinned apologetically and shrugged. "Sorry! Spoke without thinking, won't happen again."

Kimada shook his head and closed his eyes. "It's too late, Mikazo! The damage has been done..."

Mikazo laughed. "Well, I have an idea that might cheer you up," he said. "Hey, Kimada, when we take over the world, you can name a small part of it 'Kimada Land'. But I'm in charge of the rest of the naming business, alright?"

"Alright!" Kimada whooped. "Kimada Land will be the most awesome place in existence!"

"...I have no idea how our conversations got so strange," Mikazo said happily. "But I'm not complaining!"

"Me neither!" Kimada agreed with a grin. "Though I have kinda forgotten what we were talking about earlier." He paused and cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Seriously, what had we been talking about?"

"Uh... the training session and rescheduling it, I think," Mikazo answered.

"That's right!" Zawadi nodded. "And I had an idea about that, that I wanted to mention. If Simba and the others aren't going to train you tonight, Mikazo, that doesn't mean Kimada and I can't train with you, right?"

"Yeah, good idea. Someone's gotta help you out," Kimada said, grinning. "We might not be able to teach you anything new, but we can sure be tough to beat! What do you think? Head to the training field at twilight and have a session like the one you had planned with Simba?"

"Sure! And thanks guys," Mikazo said, smiling. It was always helpful to train with his friends. Practicing his battle style and his attacks, and becoming physically stronger and faster could only be a good thing, especially if he was ever going to be able to defeat Jinamizi. "I'll go talk to Simba and the rest about rescheduling the main session for tomorrow or sometime around that." He glanced off the edge of the promontory, looking through the gaps in the clouds at the sky. "It's not twilight yet, though it's definitely past mid-day now. Still some time left to go before we can get started." He stood. "I'll be right back."

Mikazo stretched briefly, flicked his tail at Kimada and Zawadi as a quick goodbye, and then trotted toward the Royal Family, all of whom were still gathered around the entrance to Pride Rock's cave. Mikazo was glad to see that Simba and the others seemed greatly recovered from the events of the day, and Daka was leaning against his mother, his back pressed against Kiara's side and all four of his paws pressed against Kovu's side, who lay right nearby. Daka was in-between his parents.

Simba, Nala, Sarafina, Sarabi, and Vitani were all still nearby, and Mikazo could see that all of the adults were talking amongst themselves, and with Daka as well. It seemed that the conversation had largely trickled off when it came to the Elephant Graveyard and Mauja, and now they were on to other subjects. It was good that the cubs no longer seemed all that shaken by what had happened with the black mamba.

Glancing around, he could see that Msafiri was, of course, still with Azizi. She was curled against her father's throat, under his chin and halfway vanishing into the soft depths of his mane. Mikazo smiled at the sight, and then continued on toward Simba. One short conversation later, Simba and the others had agreed to reschedule the training session for tomorrow evening, agreeing that it would be nice to just spend some time with the cubs after the near tragedy of the day.

Mikazo was relieved and grateful that his friends had offered to train with him, because as willing as he was to reschedule the training session, he hadn't been looking forward to waiting around and doing nothing in the meantime. At least this way he could get something accomplished.

With that plan set out, Mikazo headed back over to Kimada and Zawadi's sides to watch the Savannah and the animals moving around on it as they waited for twilight and the start of their training session.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Rain lashed the Savannah outside of the cave in which Tumaini and her pride lived, and she could hear the droning sound of the rain splatting against the stone roof over their heads. The four lionesses were gathered near the mouth of the cave, laying close together for warmth against the chilly wind that blew in through the opening as they watched the storm rage outside their home. The repetitive sound of the rain was a relaxing backdrop to their conversation, and Tumaini was more relaxed in that moment than she had been in a long while.

Though they would prefer to spend as much time as possible a good distance away from their king, the force of the storm kept them all in the cave, Jinamizi included. Tumaini was glad to see, at least, that Jinamizi was deep back in their cave. He was laying with his back to the lionesses and occasionally letting out a snort in his sleep. Though the sounds were irritating for the sheer reason that Jinamizi was the one making them, at least he wasn't awake.

Their conversation ranged from topics such as the hunt they had planned for later in the day, hopefully when the rain had abated slightly, and what Chana the hyena and her clan were up to right now. Thankfully, the hyena clan hadn't caused any more trouble for them yet, not since the last dangerous encounter which had ended with all five of them being injured. That had gone so wrong because Jinamizi had been stupid enough to attack the hyenas despite the overwhelming odds, and had, by his actions, dragged the lionesses into the conflict. Tumaini felt a flash of resentment bordering on bitterness at the thought. That had been three days ago, however, and the least of their injures had healed. Though many of the more severe ones were still quite painful, the lionesses were well recovered. Jinamizi, who had been injured worst of all of them, still had much healing to do, but none of the lionesses could work up any sympathy for the cruel lion.

They didn't know what Chana would try next, but it was clear she would indeed do something again soon. The hyena matriarch had made it obvious that she intended to continue trespassing on their land, and Tumaini knew that she wouldn't stop just because the pride of lions, so fewer in members than the hyena clan, demanded it. No, their territory offered a lot of prey, prey that was on alert for the stalking lions who lived in and ruled their land, but who wouldn't expect the hyena clan to be skulking about in a land they were forbidden from entering.

Though the problem with the hyena clan was worrying, their conversation quickly moved on to lighter topics.

"As wet as it has been lately, it really is an improvement from the heat, isn't it?" Nuru said. "Several times over the past dry season I could have sworn I was going to melt into a puddle of hot fur."

Cheneta chuckled. "Oh, yeah, and you have a wonderfully light-colored coat, Nuru. Heat doesn't affect you as badly as it does dark-furred animals." She jerked her muzzle back at her own coat, which was of such a dark brown shade as to be nearly black. "So imagine how I was feeling!"

Nuru shook her head, wincing. "I'd really rather not. Just the thought makes me feel overheated!" 

"No danger of that now, though, huh?" Tumaini pointed out with a smile. "The rainy season is definitely going strong. Of course, now that means we're gonna be as waterlogged as drowned rabbits instead of puddles of overheated fur, but I guess you can't have everything." She looked out at the sheeting rain, watching as each drop splashed hard against the ground and exploded into tiny glints of liquid. "It's getting colder, though, isn't it, the rainfall?"

"Yes," Uzuri confirmed. "It's cooling down the land, of course, and any heat stored in the ground from the dry season is dissipating. It was helping to make the air warmer, but it's pretty much gone now. So off we go into cooler days. But of course, the effect it's having on the Savannah is as amazing as always, and if you ask me, a little cold is more than a fair trade-off." She paused, looking out of the cave into the land which was now abundant with lush plant-life where, just weeks before, it had been brown and tufty, with dying grass and sun-baked dirt. "I may have lived through a few dry seasons and rainy seasons by now, but it never ceases to amaze me how the land revitalizes itself this time of year."

Tumaini nodded. She could remember one of the first rainy seasons she had lived through, just last year. Though she had been relatively young, she well-remembered how things had changed in the land in which they lived. She was just over two and a half years old now, and this was only her third rainy season- or the second rainy season that she could remember clearly. She'd been too young to remember the first so she didn't truly count it. She was the youngest of the four of the lionesses of her pride, and had seen fewer seasons than any of them. Only Nuru was nearly as young as she. She did know exactly what Uzuri meant about the land and the rapid growth brought by the rains, they brought life back to the lands.

"Hopefully the prey animals will get nice and heavy soon," Cheneta said. "They were all getting pretty thin without many plants around to eat."

"Well, not any healthy plants, certainly," Uzuri said with a nod. "There was plenty of dead and dying grass... It's a safe guess, though, that they'll all be fattening up in the coming months, which is good news for us." She twitched her ears. "And for the other predators, too, of course, Chana's clan included, unfortunately."

Tumaini snorted. "Just what we need, healthier hyenas." She chuckled as a thought hit her. "Hey, maybe they'll all eat so much they won't be able to move anymore! That would take care of any more problems from them, huh?"

"It sure would," Nuru agreed. "Though I wouldn't care to have round, overfed hyenas rolling around the place, would you?"

The other three lionesses laughed at the thought, and Cheneta said, "That would be a sight! And enough to make anyone lose their lunch."

Tumaini chuckled and was about to say something in agreement when she felt something that caused her breath to catch in shock.

Movement deep in the lower part of her underbelly.

A thumping as if from a kick.

"Oh!"

"Not to mention make them all die laughing," Nuru was saying with a smile. Then she registered Tumaini's exclamation. The other lionesses all turned to look at Tumaini, who'd rolled onto her side and was holding her belly, a paw pressed lightly against the soft white fur. "Tumaini, you okay?"

Tumaini blinked to clear her gaze and looked up at the others as wonder and delight coursed through her. "My cub... it moved!"


	30. Kingly Decisions

**Hey everyone, we made it to chapter thirty! I hope you enjoy it.**

Mikazo stretched leisurely by the mouth of the cave before straightening and looking out into the storm-lashed morning.

If it hadn't been for his mental clock and usual wake-up time, Mikazo felt he'd have been unable to even tell it was morning by looking out at the world. The sky was a dim, clouded gray, the color of dirty ashes, and the bloated clouds were dark as smoke and just as turbulent. If it weren't for all the rain and lack of the scent of burning land and fear, Mikazo would almost have thought a fire was blazing somewhere in the Savannah, so dense and dark was the cloud-cover. Thankfully, no fire could last long in a downpour like this, though the occasional bands of lightning that tore across the sky were certainly causing a few short-lived torches, Mikazo was sure.

Bracing himself, he stepped out into the deluge and was almost immediately drenched to the bone. Mikazo let out a quiet hiss of surprise at how chilly the water was, but tried to ignore it. He might end up shivering a bit, but he didn't want to stay in the cave all day long just to avoid a bit of cold water.

"Mikazo!" he heard a small voice call, and he turned around to see Daka hurrying out of the cave. The little cub was moving so quickly in his attempt to catch up to his larger friend before Mikazo started off, that he had no chance to slow down. Mikazo winced as the little lion pelted at full speed into his left hind paw and tumbled to the ground.

"Hey, you okay, Daka?" he asked with a smile, nudging the cub back up with a fore-paw.

"Yep, I'm fine!" Daka confirmed quickly. "But can you stick around a bit? I'm bored, and I want to play."

Mikazo tilted his head, curious. "Bored? But didn't you just wake up, Daka?"

"Yeah, and I woke up_ bored..._" Daka sighed. Mikazo bit back a chuckle, knowing that Daka was being serious. It was four days after the Graveyard incident now, and Daka and Azizi still had one week and three days left of punishment before their grounding was over. It was obvious that both cubs were getting very restless already. "Azizi's still sleeping, but Mom and Dad said I could play with my friends just a little bit a day, as long as I stayed here on Pride Rock," Daka continued. He looked up at Mikazo with wide, imploring eyes. "Can you stay and play?"

Mikazo blinked down at the cub, startled as always by how the hopeful look in Daka's eyes made any refusal all but impossible, and then he grinned. "Of course! I'll stick around a while, Daka. What would you like to do?"

Well, I'd like to wake up Azizi," Daka said. "But last time I tried that, she swatted me- while she was still asleep! She didn't wake up at all! Just whacked me with her paw, and she was still snoring." He frowned, looking a bit puzzled. "It was weird." Daka shook his head. "So, uh, I'll just wait until she wakes up herself..."

Mikazo laughed. "Yeah, good idea. I'd do the same. So what would you like to do while we're waiting for Azizi to wake up without getting you swatted at?"

Daka brightened and grinned up at Mikazo. "Let's play Pebble Toss!"

Mikazo nodded in agreement. He enjoyed the game that Daka had thought up a few weeks ago, and though they hadn't played it much since then, it was well worth another go.

He and Daka gathered a pile of pebbles together at the edge of the promontory, then took turns sending them skidding off the edge to see how far they could fly before they hit the ground. Daka, despite his small size, was surprisingly good at this game, and Mikazo didn't even need to hold back very much to make it more of a fair match for the cub.

A few minutes into the game, Mikazo heard a small yawn coming from the cave entrance, and turned to see Azizi padding into the open. She was blinking her bright green eyes rapidly as she woke up, but when she she spotted Daka and Mikazo, her foggy gaze cleared fully and she bounded over to them.

"Daka, Mikazo, good morning," she said with a smile. When the other two responded with their own greetings, she asked curiously, "What are you playing?"

"Pebble Toss!" Daka answered. He lifted his head proudly. "I thought it up myself!"

"Cool!" Azizi said. "Can I play, too?"

"Uh..." Daka hesitated apologetically. "It's a two-lion game..."

Mikazo quickly stepped back. "No, that's fine, Daka. Go ahead, Azizi, you can take my spot if you want."

"Really, Mikazo?" Azizi asked. "I don't want to do that if you want to keep playing..."

"That does seem mean to do to you, Mikazo," Daka said uncomfortably, though he cast an uncertain look toward Azizi.

"It's okay." Mikazo smiled. He bent down to nudge Azizi with his muzzle, gently pushing the cub toward Daka. "Go ahead, I'll play with you both later, alright?"

The two cubs exchanged a look, then turned back to Mikazo and nodded.

"Okay, thanks!" Azizi agreed.

Daka swatted Mikazo's tail-tip. "Yeah, after Pebble Toss, let's all play something, okay? With you, too!"

"You got it," Mikazo said with a nod, and watched as both cubs bounded over to the pebble-pile to collect a projectile for each of them. The two quickly got into a playful squabble over one of the smoother rocks, which slid more easily across the stone of the promontory and so went farther when flying off the edge, until finally Azizi conceded the pebble to Daka and took a slightly rougher one for herself.

Mikazo trotted a few steps away and laid down in a patch of sun- though with the constant rain and cloud-cover, it wasn't much of a patch- intending to rest while he watched his younger friends play. Moments after he had settled down, however, the soft pad of paws against stone drew his attention, and he turned his head to see Zawadi stepping up beside him.

"Hey, Mikazo," she said with a smile in greeting. She slumped down next to him and stretched her limbs before she curled up more comfortably, nudging Mikazo aside slightly so that she could share the rock he lay on.

Mikazo dipped his head to her. "Morning, Zawadi." He lifted an eyebrow ironically. "I'd say you're welcome to join me, but apparently I don't really need to."

Zawadi smirked. "Ah, but I'm such a joy to be in the company of, I just assumed you'd be thrilled by my presence." Her eyes widened in mock dismay as though a sudden, stunning thought had hit her. "Are you saying I thought wrong?"

"Yep," Mikazo said, nodding as he tried to keep his expression serious.

"I'm hurt, really." Zawadi dropped her head onto her paws, hunching her shoulders in a morose posture. "Honestly, Mikazo, you've truly wounded me. How will my pride ever recover from this?"

"I'm sure it'll manage just fine." Mikazo chuckled. "You have it in abundance after all!"

Zawadi sent him a look. "Only because I've earned it by virtue of how utterly amazing I am, and don't you forget that!"

"I never would," Mikazo said with a snort of amusement, and Zawadi laughed.

"So, you got replaced by Azizi, huh?" she asked lightly, turning her gaze toward the two cubs.

"Yeah," Mikazo agreed with a grin. "For now, anyway, he's having fun with Azizi." He shrugged. "Besides, we'll play together later today, so no harm done."

Zawadi smiled. "True. It's not just Daka who likes playing with you. Azizi does too. I'm sure they didn't mean to cut you outta the fun." She paused. "You're not half bad with them, really... those cubs."

"Well, they're great to be with, it really doesn't have much to do with me," Mikazo said with another shrug. He watched Daka and Azizi for a moment more, then hesitated as his mind went back into memories, ones that made his heart ache to think of now. "You know... I don't think I've ever told either you or Kimada about Jamili, have I?"

"Jamili?" Zawadi questioned, turning to look at him curiously. "No, you haven't. At least you haven't said anything to me, and probably not to Kimada, either, if you think you haven't."

"Hmm..." Mikazo sighed. "I guess I really should. Jamili deserves that much, for others to hear about him." He paused briefly. "So, I guess I'll tell you first, then." He sent another glance at Daka and Azizi before returning his gaze to Zawadi, and began quietly, "Jamili was a pride mate of mine, the son of Uzuri – you know, the dark tan lioness who is the oldest out of my pride mates? After my parents, anyway..."

Zawadi nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

Mikazo swallowed. "The reason I thought of Jamili is that Daka has always reminded me of him. Not that Jamili... looked anything like Daka does. He was very different, looks-wise, with a light golden-ish coat, and he was more heavily built than Daka is. But he was just as energetic and happy as Daka... The sweetest little cub you could ever hope to meet."

Zawadi's expression had darkened as Mikazo spoke. "You're talking about Jamili in the past tense..." she noted softly.

"Yeah," Mikazo agreed sadly. "That's because Jamili was killed, Zawadi, after I was driven away from my pride. Jinamizi killed him."

Zawadi sighed heavily, her eyes closing as pain flashed across her face. "Oh... he killed a cub?" Mikazo made a quiet sound of confirmation and Zawadi's eyes shot open again. They were blazing with anger. "I knew he was evil, that rogue, from what he did to you, to your parents... and even to Masa, not letting her stay to get better." She shook her head sharply, her jaw clenched. "But to kill a _cub... _How could anyone do that?"

"That's something I'll never understand," Mikazo said hollowly. "But Jamili..." He broke off with a sigh, unable to continue and unsure what he could say anyway.

A sudden, loud growl from Zawadi caused his head to snap up in surprise, and he looked over to see that her ears were pressed flat to her head and her muzzle was pulled back in a snarl of rage. "What I wouldn't give to rip the pelt off of that rancid pile of jackal droppings!" she spat, and then drew in a breath through her teeth, letting it back out as another drawn-out growl.

"That's what I'm training to do," Mikazo reminded her darkly. "And believe me, he would deserve it." He shook his head. "Killing him won't bring back my parents, or Masa, or Jamili. But it would save my pride mates from him."

"That's definitely something to try for..." Zawadi agreed quietly, her head lowered between her shoulders and a low growl rattling in her throat. The sound faded as the seconds passed, and then she gave a long, heavy sigh as she relaxed, her anger fading into sadness. "So... can you tell me more about Jamili?" Her tone was an unusually soft one for the normally brash lioness as she added, "Unless you'd rather not, of course."

"No, I was the one who mentioned him," Mikazo said. "Jamili deserves more than just never being mentioned again." He shook his head. "The little guy can't just be... forgotten. Though I know Uzuri would never let that happen, anyway."

Mikazo spent the next few minutes sharing some of his best memories of the young, loving cub who had been his pride mate; Uzuri's young son whose life had ended far too soon. Many of Jamili's exploits had been fun to see, and so they were a pleasure to recount, though the memories were of course made bitter-sweet by the loss of Jamili.

Zawadi couldn't help but laugh at some of Jamili's more daring adventures, and Mikazo had to agree. Jamili had truly been adorable, and his games had been both inventive and, often, amusing.

Mikazo wondered if Jamili was having any adventures up in the stars. He couldn't imagine the cub he had known passing up any chance to have some fun, though Mikazo had no idea what it would be like up among the lions who had lived among the stars. He just hoped that Jamili was enjoying himself.

Finally, once the stories had trickled down some time later, Mikazo's thoughts returned to a darker memory- namely, the day that Jinamizi had come to his pride and destroyed everything he had known and held dear.

Mikazo dropped his eyes to his paws. Feeling the familiar feeling of helplessness returning, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts. "If I could just get strong enough to beat Jinamizi in a fight, then I could save my pride mates... But no matter how much I train, I never seem to be ready. I'm still not big enough or strong enough to have a chance against him." He growled in frustration. "I hate this, being so useless. I can't help my pride mates, Zawadi, and they need help."

Zawadi hesitated and shook her head. "Useless?" she asked. "Don't be ridiculous, Mikazo, you're not being useless."

Mikazo laughed briefly in disbelief. "Well, what do you call this? I can't help them, they're still being ruled by Jinamizi. How exactly is that not being useless? As much as I appreciate the effort, telling me that I'm not being useless when I am doesn't really help, Zawadi." Mikazo realized that a bit of bitterness had crept into his voice, but he couldn't quite work up the will to feel guilty about his sharp tone.

Zawadi's eyes narrowed impatiently, and her own voice hardened slightly. "Being useless would be hanging around and not even trying to save them. Mikazo, every day you spend training is a day you spend being _useful._ Don't be so hard on yourself. Not only is it unfair to you, it's also really annoying to the rest of us. And there's really no need to snap at me when I'm just trying to help."

"Gee, thanks, knowing I'm annoying makes me feel much better," Mikazo muttered sarcastically. Then he blinked and let out a sigh, realizing as he thought over his past few words that she'd had a point. He felt his irritation drain away, to be replaced by a rush of sheepish guilt. "Sorry, Zawadi," he said quietly. "You're right, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She huffed out a sigh. "Quite right. But... you definitely have reason to be frustrated. If I was in your place, I'd be going crazy by now."

"Believe me, I am going crazy," Mikazo said flatly. "I'm just doing it quietly."

Zawadi reached over to touch her muzzle to his shoulder, giving him a brief but encouraging nuzzle. Mikazo stiffened in surprise at her unexpected move, but then relaxed and accepted the comforting gesture. Still brushing her muzzle against his shoulder, she said bracingly, "Hey, if you keep training like you have been, you'll be able to save your pride in no time at all."

Mikazo's only response was to give a quiet, slightly doubtful hum, though he was grateful for her words.

A moment later, she pulled back, blinking at him, and Mikazo caught a flash of reluctance and what looked almost like fear in her eyes. "Though I can't say I like the idea of you fighting that rogue in a battle to the death." She sighed. "Not that I think you're a bad fighter, Mikazo. You're actually pretty good. But Jinamizi is massive, and like you said, he's really willing to kill. You're still not anywhere near as big or as physically strong as he is. In comparison to that rogue, you're almost as scrawny as a week-old cub." She smirked weakly. "No offense."

"Oh, none taken," Mikazo said sarcastically, realizing that her exaggeration had only partially been meant in jest, and then he pointed out, "'Scrawny as a cub' compared to him or not, I don't have a choice. If I did, if I could get my pride back from Jinamizi without a fight, I would. But he's not going to just shrug and give it up to me cheerfully."

"Are you sure?" Zawadi asked. When Mikazo stared at her with total bewilderment, she clarified. "I don't mean the part about Jinamizi giving your pride back to you without a fight, let alone cheerfully. That_ is_ ridiculous." She paused, then continued more quietly. "What I mean is... if you could get your pride back from him without fighting him, would you really? After everything he's done?"

"You mean... could I let it go without killing him for what he did to my parents, to Jamili?" Mikazo asked.

Zawadi nodded slowly, holding his gaze.

Mikazo sighed. "I... don't know," he admitted. His voice came out in a slight rasp as he continued, "I hate him, Zawadi. I hate that he took my parents from me, that he chased me from my home, that he killed Jamili, a cub... and all so he could be the king of a pride, so he could have power." He paused. "I can't say there aren't moments where I want him to pay in blood for all he's done."

"I can't honestly say I'd feel any different," Zawadi agreed. "Actually, I'd probably have snapped and tried to kill him without bothering with training by now, if it was me."

Nodding, Mikazo turned his eyes to his paws. "I once considered killing him in his sleep, and that thought still holds some... appeal, I guess." He quickly glanced up at Zawadi again, feeling a sudden rush of shame at his words and wanting to explain further before she thought badly of him. "But I could never do that, Zawadi. I couldn't kill him that way, even if it might be easy and the quickest and safest possible way. I couldn't... do something as dishonorable as that."

Though she cocked her head to regard him inquisitively, Zawadi stayed silent, so Mikazo continued softly, "Revenge is something I want in my darkest moments, but those moments... I'm not proud of them. Jinamizi should pay for his crimes, but I can't justify making him pay in a way like that. Not to anyone else, and certainly not to myself." Mikazo shook his head. "No, maybe it's stupid, maybe it will even cost me my life and leave my pride mates trapped under his rule, maybe it's even selfish in that I won't... dirty my paws by doing something I think is distasteful even if doing that would save my pride mates so much sooner than I might otherwise be able to do." He lifted his head again, meeting Zawadi's eyes. Despite the confusion the whole thing caused him, his expression was as certain as his tone as he finished speaking, "No, it might be foolish and maybe even selfish, but either I beat Jinamizi in a fair fight and dethrone him that way, or I die trying."

Mikazo watched as Zawadi's stare lasted unchanging for several moments, leaving him feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious as he wondered what was going through her mind. Then the lioness gave a brisk nod and smiled. "Good," she said softly. "Maybe it _is_ foolish, though I can't agree that it's selfish... But there is one thing that it definitely says about you, Mikazo, and that's that you're a pretty good lion." She paused and shook her head with a soft scoff of what seemed like amazed disbelief. "I'd even call you noble... and I don't use that word lightly."

Mikazo's eyes widened as he felt a flood of embarrassment rushing through him, heating the skin beneath his pelt. He ducked his head, and to his further embarrassment, heard the stutter in his voice as he repeated, "N-noble? But... that's..."

Zawadi nodded again, and then her serious expression faded slightly as mischief lit up her eyes. "Yeah, but try not to let that go to your head, Mikazo. Noble or not, you're still one of the most annoying fur-balls I've ever met. And anyway, you've apparently forgotten how to speak now, too." She grinned at him, amused. "You might want to have Rafiki check that out for you."

Mikazo laughed uneasily. For some reason, her playful teasing felt much... _safer_ than the other subject, and, still feeling flustered from her unexpected compliment, he gladly jumped into the lighthearted banter. "Me, annoying?" he said as incredulously as he could manage. "Never! And you're one to talk, you know. I've never met a lioness half so insane as you are. You make your brother seem completely normal!"

"Oh, now that's going too far!" Zawadi retorted. Then she paused and cocked her head thoughtfully. "...Well, okay, maybe you actually have a point. But even so, in what strange world could Kimada ever be called _normal?_"

"Uh..." Mikazo hesitated, then laughed again. "Okay, you're right, bad word choice. We'd both be bored stiff if he was normal."

"Undoubtedly," Zawadi agreed.

Still feeling slightly edgy, Mikazo cast about for another light subject, and then grinned as he thought of one. "Hey, speaking of Kimada, while I'm waiting for Daka and Azizi to get done with their game and until they want me to join in with them again, why don't we go hunt him down? And then later, you and Kimada can join in with me when Daka and Azizi are ready for more playmates."

"Alright," Zawadi agreed, and rose to her paws cheerfully. "Kimada told me he was heading down to the waterhole. I think he was hoping to catch some flamingos. Which actually, doesn't sound all that bad right now, flamingo. Unless you're opposed to getting feathers stuck in your mouth." She paused and snorted suddenly, amused by something. "Or stuck in your nose." Mikazo raised his eyebrows questioningly and she added, "It happened to Msafiri once, and he couldn't stop sneezing for hours..."

"What?" Mikazo asked, biting back a laugh. 

Zawadi waved a paw dismissively. "Eh, I'm pretty sure that everyone in my pride has been sworn to silence regarding that incident." She paused. "Or was that about the thing with Vema and the fruit-throwing monkey?" She shrugged. "Either way, I'm certain Vema would have my pelt if I spoke about that to anyone, and Msafiri might be a bit embarrassed about the feather thing... Either way, I'm not supposed to mention any more. Which means, of course, I'll tell you and Kimada both later on."

"Good!" Mikazo exclaimed. "Looking forward to it."

Zawadi grinned. "Anyway, let's go and join Kimada." She trotted off, calling, "Come on, slowpoke!" over her shoulder. She glanced back in time to see his eyes first widen and then narrow at her term, and then she laughed and broke into a quick run, bounding down Pride Rock's slope at a break-neck pace.

Rolling his eyes, Mikazo stood and raced after her, pushing himself to full-speed. He'd show her which one of them was a slowpoke.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Voninahitra crouched low among the blades of grass, doing all he could to move silently and stay hidden as he did his duty of spying on the cruel lion who had taken Mikazo's pride from him.

It was around mid-day, as Voninahitra had set out early in the morning to visit these lands. It had been three full days since his last spying mission, and though Mikazo had not said anything to prompt him into going, Vonny was aware that his lion friend had been getting quite anxious at the lack of news on his pride mates and their lands under the reign of their king. For that reason, Vonny had been sure to set out before the night had fully cleared from the sky, as soon as it was bright enough to easily see the land around him.

Voninahitra was hiding quite well, not too far from the cave in which Mikazo had lived before he was driven out, and where his pride mates and the former rogue had their den, though he was far from the only animal present in the area. A meeting with seemingly every animal in Jinamizi's kingdom was being held, and though Vonny doubted that he would be noticed in particular by anyone, he still did not want to be found. Though he supposed that the crowd of animals gathered around the lions' cave also worked to hide him. Perhaps the upsides of the gathering were even higher than the downsides. With this many animals, Vonny would be lost in the crowd even if any of the animals here had any reason to notice him.

Voninahitra, trying to see through the crowd, made his way forward carefully, slipping in between an elephant and her calf, and couple of several large grayish-white monkeys whose species Vonny believed was named vervets. Finally, after maneuvering past a horde of other animals, Vonny came to the edge of the group, still crouched low in the grass, and saw the clearing in front of Mikazo's old cave.

In the center of that clearing stood Jinamizi. Though Voninahitra had only seen that lion once, he had no trouble recognizing him, and a rush of disgusted derision ran through him. The four lionesses who Vonny had come to know and recognize through Mikazo's stories and descriptions, as well as his brief sighting of them, Uzuri, Tumaini, Nuru, and Cheneta, were all sitting in front of the cave entrance behind their rogue king. Vonny briefly noticed that none of them seemed to be too pleased with the situation before he focused on Jinamizi, who was apparently giving a speech.

Vonny had been hoping to bring information back that would sooth Mikazo's worries, but as it turned out, what he was now hearing and watching happen didn't seem likely to do much more than alarm Mikazo.

"That clan of scavengers trespassed upon my lands, they dared to steal prey that is rightfully mine," Jinamizi was saying, that last part causing the prey animals among the crowd to exchange uneasy looks. "And they dared to fight against me and the lionesses I command, against the _king _of these lands." Jinamizi growled, his muzzle pulling back from his sharp teeth. "They continue to trespass against my orders, and so I pass a new law." He paused, his dark reddish-brown eyes moving from one member of the crowd to another. "By my command, if anyone in these lands are to see the hyena clan that lives outside our borders attempt to trespass for any reason, then all animals of all species, prey and predator, are to band together and drive them out."

A stunned silence followed his words as seemingly everyone in the crowd stared at Jinamizi wordlessly. Vonny noticed the four lionesses also seemed shocked, staring at their king with obvious disbelief.

"What?" a voice exclaimed from the crowd, and Vonny glanced around to see a zebra staring at Jinamizi incredulously. And she was far from the only animal to be displeased by their king's announcement. "Are you serious?"

"We're hardly fighters, your majesty," a male gazelle protested more evenly. "How could my herd and I hope to drive out a clan of that many hyenas?"

Jinamizi's eyes narrowed. "Work together with other herds, the zebra and elephants- or even the blasted tortoises, I don't care how, but you will do it! All of you." He lifted his head, ignoring the mutters erupting throughout the crowd of his subjects. "And by all, I mean _all. _Any animal who is old enough to be weaned from its mother's milk will also join in driving out the clan of hyenas."

As cries of shock came from all quarters, a choking laugh of disbelief came from behind Jinamizi, and Vonny looked toward the cave entrance to see the flame-colored lioness he knew to be called Tumaini stepping forward a few paces.

"Jinamizi, have you completely..." She trailed off, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. That, or perhaps she realized that asking Jinamizi if he had gone crazy would not be the safest route to take. Then she quickly started speaking again. "How can you ask that animals so young risk their lives against hyenas? It's completely ridiculous!"

Even Voninahitra, who knew so little about the ways of lions and of lion prides, was stunned by Jinamizi's announcement, and he was in complete agreement with Tumaini. Surely this was quite irregular?

"Do not question me!" Jinamizi snarled, his expression furious. "I promise, Tumaini, if you say one more word that disrespects me or my decisions..." Tumaini glared at him but stayed silent, and he turned back from the lionesses, facing the animals gathered around them. "All animals above the age of drinking milk will join in to drive out the trespassers if they are seen. That is my command, my_ law,_ and you will all obey it."

"I won't allow my son to fight hyenas!" a leopard cried out. Vonny saw that a cub was standing at her side, his ears pressed flat and his eyes wide and shocked as he processed the king's command. The little leopard could not have been far past the age of weaning, with his fur still fluffy and face still round with youth. "No, sire, I can't put him in danger like that. He is too young!"

"As is my Katiti," an giraffe insisted, nudging her young daughter underneath her belly defensively while glaring at the king. "She will have no part in any battles. Especially against hyenas."

"Humph," Vonny heard the little giraffe mutter. "I'm not a little baby, Mom..."

"You are as far as I'm concerned," the giraffe insisted in an undertone that Vonny could just barely make out.

"I am the king, and you all will obey me!" Jinamizi snapped, stalking forward with his furious gaze darting between the two mothers who had spoken out, as well as all the other animals, some of them also parents, of course, but also those who just disagreed with the idea. "If you do not do as I say, then you and your precious little brats will be banished."

Voninahitra felt his jaw drop and heard a sharp in-draw of breath from the cheetah who sat beside him.

Jinamizi snorted as the mutters of the animals fell into a hushed silence in which every animal seemed too stunned to even breathe, let alone speak. "Those are your choices, and either way, you will obey my commands- be that command to fight or to leave these lands and never return. And just remember, if you refuse to fight and then refuse to leave once I pass banishment, then the penalty will be death."

"He... he can't be serious..." one male wildebeest said quietly.

"Do _you_ want to test him?" another wildebeest who looked so like the first that she was likely his sister, retorted in just as low a tone as he had used. "Because I sure don't. I don't mind telling you that this guy scares me."

The dark-tan lioness that Vonny knew Mikazo considered to be almost like an aunt, Uzuri, stepped forward slowly. Her tone was quiet and her manner careful as she protested Jinamizi's declaration. "Jinamizi, surely there is another way rather than forcing ones so young to fight? At least raise the age limit to something more... reasonable."

"I will not raise the limit, and this is not unreasonable, lioness," Jinamizi snapped, glaring at Uzuri. He turned back to face the crowd, continuing, "As I am the king and you are all my subjects, you are under my rule. You must do as I command, and if you do not, you will suffer the consequences. I want those hyenas stopped, I want them punished for daring to disobey me, and it is the duty of all of you to serve your king. So do so!"

Many in the crowd of animals were regarding Jinamizi with disbelief and intense dislike, if not outright hatred. Though none were daring to speak outright again, a discontent murmur was running through the gathering as animals spoke to each other in quiet tones.

"This is just like the thing with you two when he wouldn't help you with Choyo," Vonny heard someone say quietly, and, startled by the name that was just barely familiar, he turned around to see a group of dik-diks standing nearby. Among them were two he recognized as Jasiri and Jua, the dik-diks who had come to Jinamizi to ask for help with another dik-dik who had been pressuring Jua to be his mate, even though she and Jasiri were already mates.

Jasiri, who now had several long but healing scars along his side, ones that Voninahitra was sure were left from his encounter with Jinamizi, nodded. He then responded quietly, "In many ways, though, I think this is even worse than when he turned us away. This is putting the lives of children at risk..."

Jua, who seemed edgy, said, "Jasiri, our child... when he or she is born..." She shook her head worriedly, and Vonny noticed then that the female dik-dik's sides were swollen slightly with the weight of the baby dik-dik she carried. "When they stop nursing, will Jinamizi try to make our child fight?"

"Maybe this'll be solved by then," another dik-dik female offered helpfully. "Maybe the hyenas will be gone, have given up or something."

Jua nodded uncertainly, and Jasiri added a low promise, "And if by the time our child is old enough for this... law to have an effect on them, if the hyenas aren't gone by then... Then we'll just have to leave and find a new home, Jua."

"I suppose so," Jua agreed quietly.

Many other, similar conversations were taking place for several seconds before Jinamizi snapped loudly, "Stop your mutterings! I don't care how upset any of you are. This is the law, now, and you will follow it. This meeting is over, so get out of my sight already if you don't plan to be useful to me in some way." The former rogue turned his back on the crowd and, with a disdainful snort, stalked into the cave, shoving in between Nuru and Cheneta as he did.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

The ground was soft and springy beneath Chana's paws, and the hyena matriarch grimaced in disgust as she felt mud and water soaking into her coat. Snorting, she looked over her shoulder at her clan mates, who were gathered in the field behind her. They were all standing among the rocks of their home, a large cluster of boulders forming a large and roughly circular niche. The boulders and jutting stones also provided some overhanging ledges that served as protection from the elements.

It was not quite a cave, as much of it was open to the sky, but there were enough boulders, and the boulders reached high enough, that her clan was fairly content with the overall effect. As Chana saw it, it was very nearly as good as a cave. It had walls- though there were some holes here and then, but those could serve as emergency exists if they were ever ambushed in their home- and though it lacked what anyone would call a roof, there were more than enough ledges for her entire clan to shelter under should the rainfall become too heavy.

The members of her clan were doing nothing in particular at the moment. Some were gathered in loose groups, talking together, while she could spot four others of her clan sleeping soundly underneath the ledges that blocked the rain. Apparently they were all taking an early morning nap.

A few hyenas who were new mothers or second-time mothers with a new litter where either playing with or nursing their cubs. The families were spending their time under the overhanging ledges or out in the open of the clearing, despite the falling rain.

Chana shook her head in exasperation as she saw what Dhalimu was going. Her clan mate, who had a worse temper than even most others in the clan, was clearly having a heated argument with Kuvunja, despite the fact that his ranking was naturally lower than the female hyena he was fighting with. Especially considering that Kuvunja's rank was quite high even among the females of the clan. Kuvunja's attitude was dismissive and derisive, and Chana supposed that if the argument went on for much longer, Dhalimu was likely to try to take a bite out of Kuvunja. Still, at least if that happened, she might have something to watch that would relieve her boredom. Watching Dhalimu get flattened in a fight would be fairly amusing to see.

Chana was standing near the 'entrance' to their home; two large, jutting stones with a narrow opening between them, just wide enough for two hyenas to enter side by side.

Early that morning, she had sent a scout into the lands adjacent to their own, the lands that belonged to the lion pride that was now led by that fool of a lion, Jinamizi. Her scout, Jasusi, was late coming back, and though she was somewhat concerned for his health, she was also confident that her clan mate was fine. Jasusi was among the best scouts in her group, if not the very best among them, and if there was one thing he excelled at, it was staying out of sight and gathering information without the awareness of those he was spying on. Because they had no hunts planned just then, and nothing else of interest was planned today until Jasusi's return, Chana was, to put it mildly, bored out of her skull.

She was just planning to head deeper into her clan's home when she heard a hyena's call coming from outside. Twisting back around to look, Chana saw Jasusi, who had called out to announce his return.

"Jasusi!" Chana called out, greeting the other hyena with a small smile, something that only a few members of her clan received. "So, how was your reconnaissance mission?"

"Oh, Chana, have I got some news for you," Jasusi announced, approaching the clan leader with a brief low-pitched whoop as a hello. "The king cat is at it again."

Letting out a snort, Chana stepped aside to allow Jasusi passage into their home, and then sat down in the entrance with Jasusi taking the spot opposite her. "Well, what's he gone and done now?" she asked.

Jasusi lifted one fore paw and gestured with it. "Heh, well, there I was, not too far from the cave o' those lions, when I overheard some cheetahs complaining pretty loudly together about somethin'." He shrugged. "Being the curious rascal I am, I sneaked over to them and did a bit of eavesdropping." Jasusi scoffed and shook his head. "Man, what I heard threw me for a loop, I'll tell ya, Chana. Seems that old Jinamizi has made a new law of the land, with us as the main focus. Us being 'that clan of flea-invested, mangy hyenas', as one o' the cheetahs said."

Chana barked a laugh. "Oh, I'd be offended if I hadn't heard that a million times already. Besides, my fleas are pedigree only, ask anyone." Jasusi snorted, and Chana prompted, "So go on, what law did the king of stupid make about us?"

"This is where it gets really crazy," Jasusi cautioned. "Those cheetahs were complainin' for good reason, turns out. Jinamizi made a law that if anyone sees our clan set paw in his lands again, then every animal around where we are, no matter the species- and I mean even gazelle and zebra- are ordered to drive us off."

Chana laughed again, incredulously. "Are you serious?"

Jasusi nodded. "Yeah. He said, and I'm quoting those cheetahs who were quoting him, that 'any animal who is old enough to be weaned from its mother's milk' is to join in with everyone else in drivin' us out."

"Over my dead body," Chana scoffed. "As if a bunch of younglings, especially prey younglings, are gonna have any chance of driving us outta anywhere."

"Well, I think what he meant was for a whole lot of animals, adults and almost adults, to try for that," Jasusi said. "But you got a point. But numbers might be a bit of a problem. If they all gang up on us at once..."

"Ah, don't worry yourself, honey," Chana said, shaking her head. "Actually, if you ask me, it sounds like we need to make more frequent visits to our lion friends' territory. In fact, why don't we get a group together for a hunt right now? It's about time for us to get a snack, wouldn't you say?" She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes to thin glinting slits. "There isn't one animal in those lands that can handle our pack, and I look forward to seein' them try."

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

By the time Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi returned to Pride Rock having completed the day's training session with Simba and Mikazo's other mentors, twilight had fallen completely over the land and it would soon be full night.

Mikazo was feeling quite sore after the training session. They had battled from early dusk to full twilight, and though it was the third time he had trained at that time of day, it had still been difficult. He hadn't fought against just one lion tonight, either, but had grappled with Kimada first, and then had a match with Kovu. Though he had managed to scrape by a win in the fight against Kimada, he had been defeated by Kovu. He was at least glad that he had held out for some time, but tired as he had been by his battle with Kimada, his energy had been down low, and Kovu had emerged the victor.

After his fight with Kovu, he rested a bit. He then battled with Msafiri, fought a match with Zawadi, and had one last match with Kimada, with no real rests in between the last three. He celebrated two successes and mourned a failure in those three bouts, and by the end of the training session Mikazo was deeply exhausted and achy.

Mikazo, Kimada, and Zawadi rested on the Pride Rock promontory, talking together and recovering their energy for about an hour, when Mikazo heard Voninahitra's voice call out his name. Sitting near the promontory's tip with his two lion friends, he turned to see the ring-tailed lemur trotting up from behind.

Mikazo got to his paws to meet Vonny, knowing that his small friend had just returned from his trip to Mikazo's home lands, and hoping to hear how his pride mates were doing. His mood quickly dropped when Vonny told him that the hyenas had been causing more trouble, and had apparently been in a fight with Mikazo's pride mates and with Jinamizi. Because of that, and because of their continued trespass, Jinamizi had passed a new law the audacity of which stunned Mikazo.

What did Jinamizi think he was doing, drafting all of the animals of Mikazo's land into a potentially deadly battle? He couldn't believe that any king, even Jinamizi, would force prey animals to fight his battles for him, let alone the children of both prey and predators. It was completely wrong. It was not the duty of the animals of Mikazo's old lands to fight and die because of their king's overblown ego and desire for revenge.

Though Chana's hyena clan had to be stopped, the way that Jinamizi had chosen simply did not seem right to Mikazo. There had to be some other way to keep the hyenas out. It seemed to Mikazo that the clan had no respect, and so, no wariness, of Jinamizi. They had mostly remained in their own lands and had avoided trespassing while Mikazo's parents, Hodari and Kawanja, had been living and ruling. The hyenas had known that Hodari and Kawanja would not allow trespassing, and would enforce their command with claws and teeth if need be, but it had very rarely come to that. Mikazo's parents had kept the peace with the hyenas in general, and though there had been some skirmishes, those had been brief and few.

With Jinamizi, it seemed that Chana's clan did not care to follow the law in the least. That was a testament to the lack of recognition Jinamizi as a ruler commanded throughout the land. Mikazo could only see this newest turn of events leading to the death of many animals who should not be fighting in the first place.

Aside from that, Mikazo was horrified by the knowledge that Tumaini, Uzuri, Cheneta, and Nuru had fought against the hyena clan. Vonny had learned that Chana's hyena clan had grown quite a bit in numbers, over thirty of them, and Mikazo didn't want to think about how the battle must have gone for his pride mates with that many hyenas attacking them.

Voninahitra had reported that from what he had seen, Mikazo's pride mates and Jinamizi had been covered in healing injures of various severity, though Jinamizi had been by far the worse off of the five. That part was not something Mikazo minded, but that his pride mates were hurt bothered him deeply. And what if they got into another battle with the hyena clan? They might not be so lucky as to escape with their lives a second time.

Vonny's news left him anxious and jumpy, and so he got to his paws, told his friends he would be back later, and headed out into the Pride Lands' Savannah. Perhaps a walk would calm his nerves, but he seriously doubted it.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

It had been three days since since Mikazo had learned of Jinamizi's new law, and he was still wired tense with the knowledge. Thoughts of his pride mates being torn apart by a massive hyena clan haunted him, and worries for the animals who had been his parents' subjects made it all the more difficult to ignore the situation, no matter the fact that he could do nothing to change it.

Mikazo was spending much of his time either training, trying to become stronger and more skilled, or simply pacing to work off his restless energy until he was forced to sit and relax because he kept exhausting himself. He had played much less than usual over the past three days, though Kimada and Zawadi kept up their attempts to bring him out of his dark mood. On top of that, Daka seemed to have arranged ambushes with Azizi with Mikazo as the target, judging by the fact that half the time he was pacing anxiously he ended up getting pounced on by the two cubs. It was their own way of trying to cheer him up.

Simba was growing increasingly worried about the young lion. Then he found out by overhearing a short conversation between Kimada and Mikazo on the morning of the third day that Mikazo had been awakened the night before by a nightmare. It was clear that after that he hadn't been able to fall asleep again, as he'd spent the morning yawning and looking exhausted. Seeing how strained Mikazo was, Simba decided that he had to do something.

As midday arrived, Simba, feeling both worried and determined, found Mikazo at the waterhole.

Noticing that he was drinking half-heartedly and seemed distracted, Simba frowned, knowing the likely cause of Mikazo's distraction could not be pleasant for him. "Mikazo?" Simba said as he padded up behind the younger lion, causing him to look up and around, his expression so startled that Simba guessed he had been pretty deep in thought before Simba's voice yanked him back to reality.

"Oh, hello, Simba," Mikazo said with a dip of his head, stepping sideways as though to make a spot for Simba at the waterhole, though they were alone aside from some wildebeest on the other side of the water's expanse. Simba dipped his head in return and stepped up beside Mikazo, though he didn't lower his muzzle to the water to drink.

"It took me a while to find you, Mikazo," Simba said. "I guess I really should have thought of the waterhole earlier, actually, rather than wondering around the Pride Lands at random..." He shook his head.

Mikazo blinked in surprise. "You were looking for me?" he asked. "I thought you'd just come for a drink." He straightened fully, taking a step back from the waterhole, and turned to face Simba directly, giving the king his full attention. Mikazo sat down and tilted his head to the side questioningly. "What is it, Simba?"

"Well..." Simba briefly wondered how to go about this, but then just decided to be blunt. "I'm worried about you, Mikazo. You seem to be kind of off these days. Actually, you've been off since Voninahitra brought you the latest update."

Mikazo's gaze dropped from Simba's as he looked to the ground. "You shouldn't worry about me. It's my pride mates who aren't doing well."

"I know that," Simba said. "But you been distracted for three days, and yesterday you woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare-" Mikazo opened his mouth, his expression slightly defensive and perhaps a bit embarrassed, and Simba continued quickly, "-and while the same has happened to me, believe me, the fact that you couldn't get back to sleep isn't good."

"I'm fine," Mikazo assured him. "I got enough sleep for a day, I won't pass out in the waterhole or anything. I'll just have to catch up on my sleep tonight."

"That may be true, but I've also noticed that you aren't eating as much," Simba countered. "And whatever you say, I can't find anything 'fine' about that. You've eaten maybe half as much as you usually do."

"How do you even know how much I usually eat?" Mikazo asked with some incredulity. 

"You sit next to Kimada whenever we have prey brought back," Simba pointed out. "He eats so much I just ended up learning your usual eating amount by comparison alone."

Mikazo stared at him for a moment, then cocked his head and nodded in agreement. "Oh, I guess that makes sense."

Simba resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The point that I'm trying to make here, Mikazo, is that you are not doing well, and something needs to be done before you make yourself sick. Either because you're not eating enough or because you're not sleeping enough. Great Kings, if you keep pacing around all day, you'll kill yourself from exhaustion alone... that, or some animal will kill you just to get you to stop pacing in circles."

"Simba, it's not that bad!" Mikazo protested. Simba could see that the younger lion seemed slightly offended. "I'm grateful that you care about my health, Simba, but I'm fine. I'm not going to get sick, but I can't stop worrying about my pride mates even if I tried. Even the other animals back home are having trouble thanks to Jinamizi. They could die fighting hyenas because of him. How can I stop worrying when that's hanging over their heads?"

"You can't," Simba admitted. "But even so, I want you to start eating normally if nothing else."

"Alright," Mikazo agreed quietly. "I just haven't had much appetite lately." He paused. "Do you know what I think is the worst part?" he asked finally. "That my pride mates are in this situation, with a king like Jinamizi, and they don't even know that help will be coming." Mikazo sighed. "They're having such hard lives right now, and as far as they know, that won't change any time soon. Not until Jinamizi gets himself killed or dies of old age. I'm just not sure how much longer they can hold out without knowing that they aren't going to be stuck with him forever."

"It is a horrible situation," Simba said. "But lionesses in general are very strong, and from what you've told me of your pride mates, I don't think they will... break any time soon."

"Maybe not, but no matter how strong they are, everyone has a breaking point." Mikazo growled suddenly. "And with what he did to Tumaini... forcing her to have his cub, I can't imagine what kind of effect that's having on her. And he killed Uzuri's son, Simba, little Jamili. And he was just two months old! Uzuri loved him so much, and now she's lost him." Mikazo closed his eyes and gave his head a small shake. "And who knows what might happen to them or to Nuru or Cheneta in the future. Even if nothing more happens, their lives are... The way he orders them around, the way he treats them, is just wrong."

Simba didn't respond for several moments as a sudden idea formed in his mind, and then, with a somewhat tentative tone, he said, "So what bothers you most is that your pride mates don't know that help is coming?"

Mikazo nodded dully. "Yeah, wouldn't that be the worst part for you?"

"Yes, it would," Simba agreed quietly. "So... how about we fix that, then?"

Mikazo's head jerked up and he eyed Simba with confusion. "Huh? What do you mean, fix it?" He paused briefly. "Fix it how?"

"Your pride mates don't know that help is coming," Simba said. "So I was thinking... Remember a while ago, when Nala, Kiara, Kovu, Daka, and I all left to visit the other prides surrounding us? When we visited the kings and queens of those prides?"

"Uh, yeah, of course I remember," Mikazo confirmed, clearly bewildered. "But what does that have to do with..." 

"Well, I just realized that there's one king from a surrounding pride who I haven't officially visited," Simba explained with a smirk. "And I think maybe it's time to change that."

Mikazo stared at him blankly, and the young lion's jaw actually dropped slightly. "Wait, what? You mean you're going to go and... and visit Jinamizi?" He shook his head. "I thought no one was supposed to be seen by him, so he didn't know that we were there..."

"But this wouldn't be a 'sneaking around for info' visit," Simba said. "This will be a 'king to king' visit, I guess you could say. I could pretend that I just now found out about the fact that Hodari and Kawanja no longer rule that pride and that Jinamizi is the new king, and I could say I just decided to go and meet the new ruler, since we're pretty much neighbors."

Mikazo continued to blink owlishly at him for a moment, then seemingly recovered his senses. "So... you'd be pretending for be there for an official visit, but you'd be looking around to see how things are going or something?" He frowned. "But how would that let my pride mates know that help is coming?"

Simba smiled and lifted his eyebrows. "Well, if I happen to have a chance to get one of your pride mates alone to speak with, all the better, right?"

Mikazo rose to his paws, his eyes widening as hope filled his expression. "You'll tell them that help is coming? You'll tell them I'm alive?"

"Uh... yes, and no," Simba answered. "Yes, I'll tell them help is coming, but I won't mention you."

"Why not?" Mikazo asked in confusion. "Who else would be going to help them? I mean, I'm the only one who's from that pride, so I'm the only one they know of who would be trying to help them."

"True, but if they knew you were alive, and that you're the one who is planning to help them, then there would be a risk that Jinamizi would learn from them that you're still alive, and that could put your life in danger."

Mikazo's eyes flashed as he stiffened. "My pride mates would never do something like that!" he snapped, slightly surprising Simba, who had never had the usually polite lion use such a tone with him. "They would never betray me to Jinamizi. They hate him, and they love me, they're my family." He glared at Simba balefully. "I've told you about them, and you've seen how much they hate him. How could you think they would ever sell me out to that rogue, or to anyone?"

"Mikazo, I didn't mean that they would tell him on purpose!" Simba exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "I meant that Jinamizi might find out if he overhears them talking about you, or one of them might let something slip by accident."

The younger lion sat down abruptly, looking both relieved and abashed. "Oh." He paused briefly and his head dropped apologetically. I... I'm sorry, Simba," he said quietly. "I thought you were insulting them, that you were questioning the... the goodness of their characters, and I just..." He sighed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." He paused. "Hmm, second time in a few days I've said that to someone." He glanced up at Simba before returning his gaze to his paws. "I guess I'm just getting so frustrated with the fact that I can't help my pride mates that my temper is really pretty short lately. But that doesn't mean I have a right to snap at lions." He made a face, clearly embarrassed. "Especially you, Simba."

Simba sighed. "It's fine, Mikazo. No offense taken, and I definitely wasn't trying to insult your pride mates. I know they're like your family. I just think that they might accidentally let Jinamizi know, and then, if he can find out where you are- there would be animals who have seen you and would know you by description if not by name- then he might try to find you. And you just aren't ready to fight him, yet."

"They wouldn't tell him, Simba," Mikazo said instantly. "Not even accidentally. They wouldn't risk my life like that."

Simba smiled slightly. It was clear that Mikazo's faith in his pride mates ran deep. "Even so, when I go to visit, I'll be vague about just who is going to help them. No reason to take a risk that doesn't need to be taken."

Mikazo seemed somewhat displeased, but nodded. "Alright," he agreed. Then he paused. "Simba, are you sure about this?" he asked. "I mean, this is a lot for you to... take upon yourself, and you really don't need to."

"I want to," Simba said simply. "If it'll put your mind at rest even a bit, it'll be worth it." He smiled again and said teasingly, "After all, if I see you pacing around much more,_ I _just might be the animal who kills you to get you to stop it. It's really pretty maddening."

Mikazo snorted. "Duly noted," he said. "I'll try to cut down on the pacing, for the sake of my own pelt." He dipped his head to Simba, in a lower bow then the one he usually used to greet the king with. This one was clearly of gratitude. "Thank you, Simba," Mikazo said quietly. "This is just another thing on a long list of things I owe you for. If you hadn't taken me in in the first place, back when I first came to the Pride Lands, I don't know where I'd be right now. But I owe you, and all the Pride Landers, more than I can ever say."

Not quite sure how to respond to that, Simba nodded. "Well, it's our pleasure to have you here, Mikazo. I, for one, am glad that the lands you ended wandering into are these." He smirked. "Makes life more interesting around here, if nothing else. Though come to think of it, there never seems to be much shortage of interesting things happening in the Pride Lands to begin with..."

Mikazo raised his eyebrows. "You know, you say things like that a lot, and there must be stories behind it. I'd like to hear those someday."

Simba laughed. "Sure thing," he agreed. "Though you do already know a few of them, there's a lot more I don't think you've heard yet." He stood and stretched, arching his back. "Tell you what, I'll be heading out to your pride tomorrow, but how about we go gather Daka, Azizi, Kimada and Zawadi now and have a good old fashioned story-time for a bit?"

Mikazo grinned. "Alright, sounds good to me!"

The two lions turned away from the waterhole and headed in the direction of Pride Rock.


	31. Promises to Keep

**Hi everyone! Here's another chapter, and a fairly important one to the plot. I hope you enjoy it.**

Early in the day after his conversation with Mikazo and his decision about making the trip to tell the young lion's pride mates that help would be coming, Simba strode out of the Pride Lands. He padded over the boundary and headed in the direction of Mikazo's old lands. It was again raining fairly heavily, and the rain was bitingly cold, but Simba did his best to ignore it. At least his thick mane kept his head and chest mostly warm for now, though the water that was soaking through it would put an end to that quickly enough.

Simba had kept up a quick pace much of the way, not wanting to dawdle in this weather that seemed to be intent on chilling him to the bone; and so by the time he arrived at the border to Mikazo's pride lands, the sun was only about a quarter of the way into the sky. Simba couldn't be exactly sure, however, because it was hidden by a thick layer of clouds. The sun was completely obscured, and the day was a dark and sodden one. If his task hadn't been so important, he'd have put it off for another, sunnier day.

Hours later, he reached the border between their lands and paused momentarily. He wondered how best to make his approach. In the end, he decided to simply step into the territory and make his way to the cave at its center. He didn't particularly care to wait at the border in the pouring rain, and there was no guarantee that any of Mikazo's pride mates or Jinamizi would even approach this part of the border today.

With that decided, Simba trotted over the scent markers, which were greatly diminished in intensity by the rain, and headed toward the territory's center. He knew that would likely be where he would find Jinamizi, and hopefully, the lionesses under his rule. If they were not on a hunt, perhaps Simba could get his message to them quickly. But if they were, he would need to think of some excuse he could use so that Jinamizi would allow him to hang around until the lionesses returned from hunting, and that would risk making the former rogue suspicious. That was the last thing Simba wanted, considering the covert nature of the true reason for this visit, and so he was hoping quite fervently that all five lions who lived in this land were currently sheltering from the dismal weather in or close about their cave.

As it turned out, his hopes were fulfilled; and as the cave came into sight, he could see leonine figures crouching just inside the entrance. It seemed to be two lionesses, judging by their slim outlines and lack of mane. Simba assumed that the other two of Mikazo's pride mates were likely just a bit out of sight inside the cave, and the same was likely true of Jinamizi. Knowing that approaching without making his presence known would be foolhardy given the aggressive nature of this land's king, Simba stopped walking and stood just outside the grass-less clearing that lay in front of the cave.

Close enough now to see them among the shadows, he now recognized the two lionesses who laid in the cave entrance as Nuru and Uzuri. Simba had met them all, including Cheneta, several times before whenever he had traveled to these lands to speak with Hodari and Kawanja. Tumaini he knew far less well, as she had been a young cub when he had last visited. And, of course, he had never even known of Mikazo's existence until he had shown up in the Pride Lands in need of help.

Come to think of it, Simba realized now that the last time he had visited these lands officially, Kawanja had been heavily pregnant. The cub he and Hodari had been so happily expecting was Mikazo, and Simba smiled slightly to himself as he remembered Hodari and Kawanja's excitement. Both had been thrilled when they had told Simba of the approaching event, the birth of their child. They had tried for some time without success to have a cub, and had been quite far into their lives by the time Kawanja finally conceived.

He had known how much they were looking forward to becoming parents- he could remember clearly his own nervous joy when Nala had been pregnant with their first cub, Kopa, and could easily relate- and he was glad that they'd gotten the chance to have their son grow up with them for a least a short time before Jinamizi had come to their home. He only wished that they had had more time to spend with their young cub before it was all stolen away by the lion who Simba now had to speak with as though he had no knowledge of his many nightmarish actions, as though he saw him as a potential friend.

Simba felt his stomach twist at the thought, but he pushed his distaste aside with some effort. The reason he was here was not truly to speak with Jinamizi, and certainly not to befriend him. It was to tell Mikazo's pride mates that help was coming, and so ease their minds as well as Mikazo's. If he remembered that fact as he spoke to the rogue, he could bear having a conversation with the lion.

"Hello!" he called out, and Uzuri and Nuru looked up and around toward the sound of his voice, startled. "I've come to visit."

Uzuri rose to her feet as at her side, Nuru did the same, her eyes wide. "Simba?" Uzuri asked, clearly surprised. She padded a few steps toward him, her expression breaking into a welcoming smile, and both lionesses bowed their heads to him. "Simba, from the Pride Lands! What brings you here?"

"Well, like I've said, I've come to visit," Simba said, returning her smile. "I heard that Hodari and Kawanja no longer ruled here, and I thought that I'd come to meet the new king."

The effect the mention of their king had on the two lionesses was immediate. Uzuri and Nuru's expressions dropped and they exchanged a worried glance.

"Uh, that might not be such a good idea..." Nuru spoke up quietly. "I mean, not that I'm not glad to see you, Simba, but..."

Uzuri hesitated as well and glanced back in the cave. "I'm afraid that you might not be so gladly accepted by our king..." she told Simba, turning back to regard him with a serious expression. "I am also very pleased to see you, Simba, you were a good friend to our pride when Hodari and Kawanja ruled. But Jinamizi, our new king, doesn't... take kindly to visitors."

"Well..." Simba frowned slightly. "I'm here only as a friend, and if I make that clear, he'll be reasonable, won't he?" He knew, of course, that Jinamizi being reasonable was about as likely to happen as all the hippopotamuses of Africa suddenly sprouting giant flamingo wings and taking to the air like birds in one massive flock, but he knew also that he had to pretend to have no prior knowledge of Jinamizi's personality.

Uzuri and Nuru exchanged another glance, this one of dark amusement. Clearly they found Jinamizi being reasonable to be as impossible as Simba assumed. But before they could respond, two sets of paw steps sounded out from the cave and Tumaini and Cheneta came into view, staring at Simba with as much surprise as their pride mates had displayed.

"Simba!" Cheneta exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Like Uzuri and Nuru had, she dropped her head in a bow to the Pride Lands' king, as did Tumaini.

"We haven't seen you in forever," Tumaini noted. Her eyes were wide and she cast a glance over her shoulder into the cave, clearly nervous, and Simba were certain that it was because of Jinamizi. He supposed that the rogue must be asleep, or else he surely would have heard their voices by now and came out of the cave. Focusing briefly more closely on Tumaini, Simba noticed that her sides were swelling slightly. He supposed that meant her forced pregnancy was progressing well, and he again had to push back a flash of mixed distaste and anger over what Jinamizi had done to this innocent lioness. Tumaini turned back to face him. "Uh, I don't want to be rude, Simba, but maybe you should go."

Still playing ignorant, Simba cast a surprised glance between all four lionesses. "Is his temper really that short?" he asked.

"You could say that..." Cheneta muttered. She glanced at the side of Tumaini's face, seemingly as a reflex, and Simba noticed that Tumaini had healing claw marks on her cheek.

Swallowing back a snarl as he realized, both from the timing of Cheneta's glance and from the shape and size of those claw marks, clearly those of a lion, that the injury must have been caused by her king, Simba turned his gaze away from the marks. The last thing he needed was to lose his own temper, and focusing on physical evidence of how Jinamizi treated these lionesses was not going to help him keep his cool. Simba could feel rage boiling in his chest, however, at the realization that Jinamizi was not only verbally abusive toward these four lionesses, he had also, at least once, hurt Tumaini physically. He could only hope that this was not a common thing, that it wasn't a habit of Jinamizi's to claw them.

A image flashed through his mind, a memory from years ago, of returning to his lands, intending to take the Pride Lands back from his Uncle Scar, who Nala had told him had destroyed the Pride Lands. Seeing the state they had been in himself had confirmed her words.

He'd returned to the lands he had last walked in when he'd been a cub, then as an adult, and had arrived just in time to overhear a conversation between Scar and Simba's own mother, Sarabi, who had been Scar's sister-in-law, and the widow of Simba's father, Mufasa. Their conversation had been about the lack of food in the Pride Lands, and Sarabi had insisted that they needed to leave, that if they were to have any hope of survival, their pride needed to find new lands. But Scar had refused, and when Sarabi had said that he was sentencing them to death, Scar had responded by saying that he was the king and could do whatever he wanted.

Simba's mother, infuriated, had retorted, beginning to say something that was comparing Scar's kingship to Mufasa's, the brother he had, Simba had found out soon after that, murdered for the throne. Scar, roaring that he was ten times the king Mufasa had been, had spun around and stuck Simba's mother with a paw before she could finish her words, hitting her so hard that Sarabi had been lifted from her paws and flung through the air. It was an image that had haunted Simba for months, and though his mother recovered and was even now still alive and well, before that point, Simba had never felt such rage as he had in that moment, seeing his uncle strike his mother.

Now, that image of his mother being hit, of her flying through the air, burned brightly in his mind's eye, searing him painfully even after all these years. Scar had struck his mother, and now this lion, Jinamizi, had clearly clawed the young lioness Tumaini, who he had also forced to carry his cub against her will.

It took every bit of strength Simba possessed to keep his expression straight, so that the four lionesses in front of him had no idea what was going through his mind. If he revealed just then the real reason for his visit, there was every chance that Jinamizi would choose that moment to wake up and overhear. It just seemed to Simba as though that was how his luck generally ran, and so he quickly tried to rein in his emotions before they had a chance to betray how furious he felt.

He hated to have to ask this of the lionesses, to wake up the king they so clearly despised with news of a visitor, news that Jinamizi was unlikely to take well. But he needed Jinamizi to know he had come, and know he had come without intentions to invade. If the rogue were to wake up later, after Simba had passed his message to Mikazo's pride mates and left, then even though he had gone, he knew that his scent would be all over this area. It would be a simple matter for Jinamizi to pick up Simba's scent. He would not even have to try, not even have to know there was a scent to search for. It would be too strong for him to miss this close to the cave.

If Jinamizi knew that a lion had been here, he would know that the lionesses in his pride had almost certainly seen him, would guess that he had spoken with them. He would no doubt be furious at Uzuri, Tumaini, Cheneta and Nuru for what he would see as betraying him, probably as treason. He might think that they had been conspiring with the lion whose scent he had picked up, planning, perhaps, to overthrow Jinamizi. Which, Simba supposed, was not completely far from the truth. But the fact was that even if the lionesses promised to keep his visit a secret, Jinamizi would pick up his scent anyway. And if they didn't choose to wake their king up now while Simba was visiting, then it would only get them in trouble- perhaps deadly trouble, knowing Jinamizi's temper- later on.

That left Simba with no choice but to press the matter, as grateful as he was to these four lionesses for their attempts to send him on his way before Jinamizi decided he was a trespasser and attacked him. So he shook his head and took a step forward, bowing his head apologetically to the lionesses as he spoke.

"Well, even so, I need to meet and speak with him," Simba said as evenly as he possibly could. "Otherwise, I've made this trip for nothing, and we are neighbors. The Pride Lands are close enough to your home that it's important for your king and I to get to know each other and stay on good terms, as you all know as well as I do, of course. So, please, could you go get him for me?"

Uzuri let out a long sigh and then braced her shoulders, her expression seeming to indicate that she was mentally preparing herself for a battle. "Alright, Simba," she agreed quietly. "I will fetch him. Cheneta, Nuru, Tumaini, please wait here." Then she said more softly under her breath, perhaps not meant to be heard by Simba, "No reason for you three to be snarled at, as well..." With one last bow in parting to Simba, she turned and whisked back into the cave to tell Jinamizi of his visitor.

Simba moved slightly farther into the clearing in front of the cave, deciding not to sit. He thought it might be better if he stayed on his paws, just in case Jinamizi attacked him the moment he saw him. That was perhaps a bit unlikely- he'd likely first demand to know why he was here, at least- but Simba didn't care to take any extra risks. He wasn't here to fight Jinamizi, however tempting the thought of dealing with the former rogue might be.

It wasn't long before Simba could hear a lion's voice, just raised high enough for him to hear, but not to make out the words, in an obvious snap of irritation. He supposed that Uzuri had awakened Jinamizi. A moment later, a barely audible growl came from the cave, followed by a frustrated sounding, "What is it _now?_", the words becoming clearer as Jinamizi and Uzuri came into sight.

Simba tensed slightly, unable to help himself, as the large rogue emerged from the cave. Shadows from the storm-darkened sky played over his dark tawny pelt, under which hard muscles flexed smoothly. Jinamizi was a large lion; he had some advantage over Simba in both height, and as far as Simba could tell, length, as well. His unusual size combined with his volatile temperament was not a good mixture, and Simba wondered briefly if his size contributed to his arrogance and hunger for power.

At the sight of Simba, Jinamizi froze, his eyes first widening and then narrowing. He stepped forward several paces as his claws slipped from their sheaths, and he bared his teeth in challenge. "Who are you?" Jinamizi demanded.

Simba dipped his head in a low bow, unable to muster the will to make a larger show of his non-existent respect for this lion. Then he stood straight and said lightly, "My name is Simba, and I'm the king of the Pride Lands, a territory pretty close to here. I heard that a new king had risen in this pride, and I thought that I should probably come over and introduce myself, since we're neighbors."

"Simba?" Jinamizi seemed surprised. "I assume that would be the legendary Simba?" He scoffed slightly as he said this, as if in disdain, but Simba saw that Jinamizi's gaze now seemed more wary than threatening. His aggressive stance shifted slightly into a more defensive posture, though his expression was still quite hostile.

"Legendary?" Simba said, truthfully rather surprised by the word. "Well, I'm pretty well known, as are the Pride Lands, but I'm not sure I'd call myself 'legendary'." Simba would never admit it to this rogue, but the part of him that had always wanted to be an impressive, mighty king, ever since he was a cub, was rather pleased. "But in any case, I'm just here to meet you."

"Is that so?" Jinamizi asked flatly. "And why should I believe that? You set paw into my lands without permission."

"Believe me, I would have waited at the border to meet you on one of your patrols, but I thought that in weather like this, you might not be on a patrol today at all," Simba responded. "If I'd thought the weather was going to ease up any time soon, I would have waited until then to make the trip, but it's not likely to lessen until the rainy season is over, and that won't happen for a few months yet. So I thought I'd better try to meet you now. I apologize for crossing the border without permission. It was a breach of... courtesy, at least, but I swear, no harm was intended."

Jinamizi lifted his head very slightly and moved into a more casual stance, though his eyes remained narrowed and his claws were still extended. "And you say you are just here to meet me, as I am now this land's king?"

Jinamizi paused, and Simba thought he saw a glint of pride in the rogue's eyes at the thought. He suddenly realized that his alleged reason for visiting could be used to his advantage, to play to this lion's ego. If there was one element of Jinamizi that was larger than his cruelty and aggression, then it had to be his pride and arrogance. That was something Simba could use, and if he did it right, perhaps he could ingratiate himself enough to have time to speak privately with one of the lionesses of this pride.

"Yes," Simba confirmed- falsely, but smoothly. "Well, after all, we'll have to meet every now and then to see how things are going in each other's lands, and maintain relations. After all, every king in the lands has potential to be a powerful ally or an formidable enemy, and of course I'd rather that you and I became and stayed the former instead of the latter." Simba hoped that his wording, however much it had cost him to say such things to Jinamizi, would appease and flatter the unpleasant king. His small speech had been meant to heavily imply respect as well as wariness at the potential of being enemies, and those two things- respect and fear- were clearly things that Jinamizi liked to invoke in other animals, lions or not.

Jinamizi snorted loudly, then said, "Fine, but don't expect me to play the host and bring you meat." The rogue's eyes glittered dangerously even as he straightened out of his crouch, lifting his head and standing tall as though in an attempt to intimidate Simba. "And if you hunt in my territory, I swear you will be punished."

Simba resisted the urge to growl at the unnecessary threat. "I won't hunt, of course," he said, somewhat flatly. "And I've already eaten before I left home."

He cleared his throat, reminding himself that he was supposed to be ingratiating himself to this lion. He flicked his eyes briefly toward the lionesses, all of whom were staring at him with clear confusion. He guessed that they hadn't expected him to be so... polite, almost subservient, to this arrogant king. Uzuri, Nuru, and Cheneta all knew him fairly well from past visits he had made to their pride, back when Hodari and Kawanja had ruled, so of course they knew his personality. He could understand their confusion, but if things went the way he hoped they would, he would be able to explain to them soon enough.

Returning his gaze to Jinamizi's, he added quickly, "So, if I may ask, how are things in your kingdom? Is everything going well? Is there anything you might need help with?"

Jinamizi's eyes narrowed. "They are fine," he growled. "And what sort of question is that? Are you implying that things might not be going well under my rule? Are you suggesting that I can't handle my kingdom?"

Simba bit back the obvious response, and said instead, "No, of course not. It's simply that if we're to get to know each other, that seemed a good place to start." He knew that this rogue would hardly care to hear about the Pride Lands, so he had no intention of speaking of how things were back in his own kingdom. Simba had no idea what he was supposed to say to buy himself some time alone with the lionesses, or even one of them, out of Jinamizi's sight and hearing. He had a promise to keep, though, and these lionesses needed to have hope. He just had to find a way to make that possible.

"Hmph," Jinamizi scoffed. "Be that as it may, what exactly is your reason for coming? As I am the king, you have come to meet me, that I understand. But what exactly is this meeting meant to involve? I don't have time to stand around all day chatting about pointless details with any lion who comes passing through here, no matter how famous they are. How things are in my kingdom is none of your concern. All you should worry about is how our kingdoms effect each other. So you really should try not to get on my nerves, King Simba." He said the other lion's title and name with evident irritation.

This rogue seemed to be giving Simba no way in, and that was highly frustrating. Not that he really expected differently. Jinamizi was never going to be easy to speak with, and he fervently hoped that he never had another reason to hold a conversation with the poor excuse for a lion.

Simba could not help but stiffen, annoyed, at the obvious threat in Jinamizi's words, and his reply held the bite that he had, up to now, been able to hold back, "That might be, but I wasn't aware that being polite was likely to get on anyone's nerves."

Jinamizi gave barely a hint of a growl deep in the back of his throat, and Simba tried to calm himself. The last thing he needed here was to provoke Jinamizi into a fight, and he suspected that it wouldn't take much to bring the temperamental rogue to that point.

"Just what I said, I just came to meet you," Simba answered Jinamizi's question in a brisk tone.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

_This Simba is a pain in the tail, _Jinamizi grumbled internally. "Yes, well, now you have," he said flatly, glaring at the Pride Lands king. He was a large lion, that was true, but he was still somewhat smaller than Jinamizi was, a fact he took pleasure in. All the same, Simba looked to be a powerful lion, judging by his build, and his thick red mane seemed as though it would prove to be a good guard against an attempt for a kill-bite to the neck. The stories that were told of Simba also attested to his ingenuity, if not sheer physical strength, and despite himself, Jinamizi was slightly wary. He hoped to end this conversation soon and get Simba to leave, mainly because he was irritating. Jinamizi's tone was forceful and abrupt as he added, "Now, if you don't mind, these lionesses have not caught me any food today, something that needs to be remedied right away."

He sent a glare toward the lionesses who stood nearby. They were truly the most useless, disrespectful creatures Jinamizi had ever met. He was extremely tired of the fact that not one of them have afforded him the respect his title deserved. They were his lionesses; they were here to serve him to and bear him cubs, heirs. They weren't here to share their opinions, or especially to disapprove of his decisions. Tumaini especially was wearing Jinamizi's nerves thin, and if the lioness did not shape up, he would not allow her to live past the time when the cub she bore him was old enough to go without milk and a mother's care. The only one who had not spoken out against him in some way as of yet was the dark-furred Cheneta, and even if she was less verbal than her pride mates, she clearly shared their feelings about him.

However, Jinamizi could not care less if the lionesses in his pride disliked him, as long as they did as they were told. And just now, they needed to get hunting and feed him. It was nearly mid-day now, and he still had not eaten. "So what are you four waiting for?" he demanded. "Go hunt already."

Uzuri dipped her head slightly in agreement, though Jinamizi swore he heard her bite back a sigh. "Alright, Jinamizi. We will." She turned to Simba, her tone warming considerably. "It was wonderful to see you, Simba. I'm sorry to head off like this."

"Me too," Tumaini added.

"Well, maybe we don't have to say goodbye just yet," Simba said, his words coming swiftly. Jinamizi frowned at the lion as he turned from the lionesses to Jinamizi. "Maybe I could help Uzuri and the others on the hunt?" Simba suggested. "Go with them and help out a bit, I mean."

Jinamizi blinked, startled, and then rolled his eyes. "Very well, whatever." He waved a paw dismissively. "Go on then, go with the lionesses." He was irritated by Simba, and this way at least, the Pride Lands king would be out of Jinamizi's fur. As well, Jinamizi could not deny he very much enjoyed the thought of the famous Simba catching his meat for him like a lioness.

Simba's head lifted and he said brightly, "Right then! Well, if going on the hunt is alright with you four?" he asked the lionesses now.

"Well, of course," Uzuri said. She seemed mildly confused by Simba's sudden request to hunt with them, but then she smiled. "We would be glad to have you along, Simba."

"Yes, thank you," Nuru added, turning toward the Savannah. "Maybe we should head out now, then."

_You don't say, _Jinamizi thought in exasperation. Would they ever just leave when he told them to do so without first babbling up a storm? He had neither time nor patience to listen to their dribble.

"Alright," Simba agreed. "See you when we return, then, King Jinamizi," he said, his tone pleasant. With a flick of his tail, the golden lion headed out into the Savannah with the four lionesses at his side.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (

Simba was quite pleased with how things had worked out here, as he set out on the hunt with Uzuri, Tumaini, Nuru and Cheneta. The chance he had been given to speak with the lionesses alone when Jinamizi had sent them out on a hunt had been perfect, though he'd been worried that Jinamizi would refuse to let him accompany the lionesses.

So now it was time to start talking to the four of them about why he had really made this visit today. Once they were some distance away from the cave and Jinamizi, though still close enough that Simba kept his voice low to be sure, he said, "Ladies, can we get far enough away from the cave that we can speak privately without Jinamizi overhearing us?" As the four of them all glanced at him in surprise, Simba finished, "I have a message to give you all from a friend."

"Well... of course," Uzuri agreed readily, though she was clearly startled and somewhat wary. "Let's just kept heading this way for a little longer, until we are out of Jinamizi's sight and hearing. Message aside, if we aren't going to hunt right away we should be sure he can't see us."

Simba nodded and followed Uzuri as she led the way across the field with the other three lionesses at his side, all of whom were giving him curious looks. They sat down underneath a tree which was far out of sight of the cave where Jinamizi remained.

"So, you have a message for us, Simba?" Uzuri asked him once they'd settled down. "What is it, and from whom?"

Simba cleared his throat, uncomfortably. "Well, I can't... tell you who it's from. I'm sorry, but it's just... safer if I don't. For the one whose message I'm delivering and probably for you four as well."

"What are you talking about?" Tumaini asked, sounding vaguely annoyed. "You can't tell us who it's from?"

"No," Simba confirmed, shaking his head. "Or, at the very least, it's better if I don't. But this message is the real reason for my visit today. Believe me when I say I do not want to build any kind of friendship with that lion, Jinamizi." Simba winced. "I'm sorry for my deception, really, but I had to pretend I didn't know what he was like, and I had to ask you to wake him so that he wouldn't smell my scent later and blame all of you for not reporting my visit. I couldn't risk putting you in danger like that, and also, there was every chance that if I tried to talk with you all right away, then Jinamizi would have awoken and overheard."

Uzuri nodded slowly. "Alright," she said, her tone cautious. "Then, we thank you for taking care not to endanger us. But what is this message, and how do you know of Jinamizi's... temperament?"

"I know how Jinamizi is because I've... been here before," Simba told them. "That, and others have been here, and returned with news."

"What?" Nuru exclaimed, as her eyes first widened in shock and then narrowed, the fur bristling along her back. Her reaction was shared in various intensity by the other four. "We've been spied on, is that what you're saying, Simba?"

Simba hesitated. He had to admit having four lionesses look at him with such outrage was slightly unnerving, but he managed to continue. "Yes, and I'm sorry. Maybe that's not much, considering I just admitted to having spied on you all, but I promise, my intentions were good. We were spying on Jinamizi, truly, not on you, though we also wanted to be sure that you were all well whenever we came."

"And how long have these... visits been going on, Simba?" Uzuri asked flatly, though her fur had at least stopped bristling.

"Since about two months after Jinamizi took the throne from Hodari and Kawanja," Simba said. "And there have been, maybe... ten total visits? Those I've done, those the one whose message I'm delivering, and those made by an animal friend of ours who's not a lion." Simba lowered his head to them in a apologetic posture. "None of us would have spied on you all if we hadn't thought it was necessary. We were only trying to find a way to help you all, or at least to confirm that you were all still alright. That he hadn't... hurt any of you for any reason. And also... we were trying to find out if Jinamizi had any weaknesses, physically or otherwise, that could be used to defeat him in the battle for the throne that the lion whose message I'm delivering is planning."

The reaction Simba's last few words caused among the four lionesses was electric. With bristling fur and wide eyes, they all made sounds of shock and shifted with sudden energy, exchanging quick looks among themselves before returning their gazes to Simba. "What, exactly, are you saying, Simba?" Uzuri spoke for all of them, her voice coming out in somewhat of a rasp. "Someone is... is planning to dethrone Jinamizi? Someone plans to take his place, to defeat him in battle and become our pride's king instead?"

"Yes," Simba said with a nod. "And that someone is planning to do this so that they can get you four and all of the animals in this territory out from under Jinamizi's control." He smiled slightly. "That's the message I'm here to deliver to you all, that help is coming. He... the lion who asked me to tell you this, that is, wanted you to know this so you'd know that you wouldn't be ruled by Jinamizi for the rest of that rogue's life, so that you'd have some hope for that changing for the better."

A long moment passed as the four lionesses absorbed this information, and Simba doubted that during those few seconds any one of them drew a breath.

"This- this is incredible," Cheneta said softly.

"Yeah," Tumaini agreed, her tone shaky and stunned. "So we might not have to... to deal with Jinamizi for the rest of our lives?"

"No," Simba said, shaking his head. "Not if my friend has anything to do with it. And though it might take him a while yet to be... ready to defeat Jinamizi, he is doing all he can to get to that point."

"Simba, who is this lion? The one planning to fight Jinamizi?" Nuru pressed. "You have to tell us that, after everything else you've just said. Who is he, and why does he care to help us?"

Simba shook his head. "I'm sorry, but like I said, I can't tell you. It would be too risky if Jinamizi found out about this. He can't know."

"Can't know?" Tumaini bristled. "We certainly would _not _tell him!"

"I wasn't suggesting you would," Simba said quickly. "I know you wouldn't, but he might find out even if you tried not to let him know in any way. He might overhear something. There's just a lot of risk."

Uzuri seemed confused. "But we already know that help is coming, something that surely would be dangerous for Jinamizi to know, all on its own, so why would knowing who this lion is be any more of a risk?"

Simba blinked. He hadn't really thought of that in that way, and so hadn't realized that the lionesses might wonder why he could tell them help was going to come, but not the name of the one who would help them.

He watched with a jolt of alarm as something like realization flashed across Uzuri's face.

"Oh, Great Kings..." Uzuri breathed, her eyes falling shut. "Simba... There's only one lion I can think of who would care to help us that Jinamizi would recognize, would know the name of. Only one who might still be alive, in any case." Her breath come out shakily, and then she opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on Simba. " The one who's planning to overthrow Jinamizi... the one planning to help us... it's Mikazo, isn't it?"

Simba froze, staring at the stunned lionesses in a daze of his own. He had an instant to make a choice here, or his shocked silence would end up giving the four all the answer they needed. He could pretend not to know who Mikazo was, pretend that it was some other lion; that Uzuri had guessed wrong, or he could come out with the full truth and tell them that their former prince was alive and returning to help them.

If he did that, then Mikazo may be in danger. If Jinamizi overheard the lionesses speaking of Mikazo, then he would certainly try to force them to tell him the whole story. And if he found out that Mikazo was staying in the Pride Lands, the young lion could be put in jeopardy.

But if he didn't, there was the fact that Uzuri's observation was a good one; that if they already knew that a lion was coming to save them, there was risk in that itself. They might not know it to be Mikazo, and so there was no risk of Jinamizi figuring that out, but they did know that this lion was staying in the Pride Lands. They had to have guessed that, because Simba, the Pride Lands king, was delivering this message. And so that, too, could put Mikazo into danger.

"Uh... who?" Simba asked, the pause he'd made as he thought lasting perhaps a moment too long.

"Simba!" Tumaini exclaimed, her tail lashing slightly with nervous energy. "It is Mikazo, isn't it? He's alive?"

"If Mikazo's alive... if he made it on it own and stayed alive," Nuru said, her words coming out in an edgy rush, "that would be beyond wonderful."

"I'm not sure who you're talking about," Simba said, feeling a pang of guilt at the lie. He cleared his throat and lifted his head, though he was aware that his fidgeting was doing nothing to make his claim seem valid.

"Then why do you seem so uneasy?" Uzuri questioned. "Please, Simba. If this isn't Mikazo, then say so again, and we'll have no choice but to believe you. But if it is... please, just tell us. He is our pride mate, our friend. He means so much to us all, and to know he's alive and well... to be certain of that..." She sighed. "Just know this, Simba: each of us would die before we'd ever put Mikazo in danger. So if that's the reason for holding back..." She trailed off, looking at Simba with worry and hope.

The other three lionesses were staring at him as well, waiting for his next words with the same desperate anticipation that Uzuri showed.

Simba sighed as his resolve broke. He had to believe Uzuri when she'd said she would not put Mikazo in danger, that none of them would. The look in Uzuri's eyes as she'd said that had been truly all the confirmation he needed. As well, he couldn't continue to lie to them when they wanted so desperately to believe that their young pride mate lived.

Slowly, Simba nodded once. "Alright," he said. "I give up. If you say that you won't put him in danger, then I believe you. Yes, the lion who plans to dethrone Jinamizi to save you is Mikazo, like you guessed."

In the moments that followed Simba's revelation, the lionesses seemed frozen, all four of them motionless and silent as the ground they stood on. Cheneta was the first to speak, swallowing dryly before she asked in a trembling voice, "Mikazo's alive? _Our_ Mikazo?"

Simba nodded, giving Cheneta a brief smile. "Yes, definitely the same Mikazo. He is alive and well, and is a good contribution to our pride until he can get back this one."

Tumaini's laugh was a shaky one, but nowhere near as much as her words when she said, "I knew it! I just knew Mikazo would still be alive!" She laughed again, this time somewhat more steadily as she processed everything they'd just learned. "He's alright!"

Nuru, too, seemed overjoyed, as did Uzuri. Both lionesses seemed as energized as their two pride mates, with glowing eyes and face-splitting grins. "I'm not surprised," Nuru agreed. "Thrilled, that, yes, but not surprised. Mikazo was always pretty resourceful as a cub, and when he was driven out... Well, I had to believe he'd live."

Uzuri smiled at the other three lionesses. "Yes," she said softly. "This is by far the best news we have had in a very long time, that our pride mate, our friend, lives." She turned from her friends to face Simba, and he saw that her eyes shone with un-shed tears. "You say he is well, Simba? Is he eating well, sleeping well? How is he dealing with what happened, losing his pride and... watching his parents get murdered?"

Simba sighed, pained by the reminder of what the young lion had gone through, though he was both somewhat amused and rather pleased by the almost maternal way Uzuri was speaking as she worried about Mikazo. "He's... yeah, he's eating well enough, and mostly sleeping well, I think. But... well, he's getting better, when it comes to his parents. He's recovering, and he's mostly, I think, focusing on saving you from Jinamizi rather than his grief. Thankfully, though, I don't think he's burying it, either."

"That's... that is reassuring," Uzuri said. "I'm glad he's handling it. Though how I wish he had not experienced any of this. How I wish that none of us had... that Hodari and Kawanja still lived, that Mikazo was still here with us, and that..." Her voice trailed off before she finished in a rasp of pain, "and that my son, Jamili, had not been killed by our nightmare of a king." Simba turned his gaze to the ground, unsure how to respond to the lioness' pain when there was nothing he could do to fix it, something he seemed to share with Tumaini, Cheneta and Nuru, as all three lionesses looked sad and resigned. Uzuri continued in a steadier tone as she asked, "But you said that Mikazo plans to take this pride back from Jinamizi?" She hesitated, frowning. "That he intends to fight Jinamizi for the throne?"

"Yeah, he does," Simba confirmed.

"But he can't do that!" Tumaini protested. "I only just found out he's alive, I can't- none of us can- just watch him get killed fighting that blood-thirsty rogue!"

"That's right," Nuru agreed, shaking her head. "He wouldn't be any match for Jinamizi. He can't beat him. I've seen very few lions as large as Jinamizi, and far few still- thank goodness- with his love of violence. He's a... dangerous fighter, and Mikazo would stand no chance. Hodari and Kawanja didn't, Simba!"

"Well-" Simba started to say, but was cut off as Cheneta spoke.

"And they were good fighters, both of them," Cheneta concluded for Nuru, distressed.

"Yeah..." Tumaini swallowed. "Saving our pride or not, he can't do that by fighting a battle he can't win." Her voice became pleading. "You have to keep Mikazo from doing this, Simba, stop him before we lose him, too. He's too brave and thick-headedly concerned with our welfare over his own, I know he is, and he'll only get himself killed."

Simba raised his head. "Just listen for a moment, alright? I know how insane the idea of fighting someone as... well, like you said, blood-thirsty, as he is. But Mikazo doesn't believe, and neither do I, that there's any other choice. And there's more I have to tell you. Just hear me out with this, alright?"

Uzuri let out a long sigh, her expression troubled, but nodded. "Of course. Please, go ahead."

Simba told the four lionesses about Mikazo's training. He described the work the young lion was putting in, the effort he was giving to the task, and how well he was progressing. He acknowledged that it would be a while before Mikazo could hope to beat Jinamizi in a fight, but that he felt confident that if Mikazo continued training as he was, the day he could defeat the rogue would come. He told them of the jackal attack on his pride and how Mikazo had fought during that battle, though he tried not to alarm them too much by going into detail on the extent of Mikazo's injuries from the battle.

"Well..." Uzuri said at length, as Simba drew his story to a close. "It seems like Mikazo has been busy. A jackal attack, of all things... Your pride... was everyone alright after that attack?"

Simba nodded slightly. "Most of us were just injured, thank goodness. We all recovered but we lost one pride mate, a lioness named Mganga."

"That's..." Nuru trailed off and shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Simba."

Simba nodded. "So am I. But she died protecting her pride, and at least no other lives are lost." There was a pause, and then Simba lifted his gaze to meet those of each of the lionesses in turn. "But do you understand what I'm saying about Mikazo? He won't change his mind. He won't put his safety or even his life over yours. He wants to get you away from Jinamizi's reign and nothing I could say to him will change that. Especially since I agree with him that he should try."

"But Simba, there's more to this than simply training," Uzuri insisted. "Jinamizi is very large, and his build is much heavier and more powerful than I remember Mikazo's to be. Even if Mikazo waited until he grew into a full adult before fighting him, he will probably still have a weight disadvantage. And in battle, luck plays a part as well. I just do not want the lion I watched grow from a helpless, adorable cub into the young adolescent I knew, die in battle." Uzuri gave her head a slight shake.

Simba hesitated. "I understand that, I really do. But Mikazo has made up his mind, and like I said, I can't change that. You need help, we've seen enough to be aware of that. You can't live under Jinamizi's reign for the rest of your lives; and you, Tumaini, can't... raise your cub under his reign."

Tumaini blinked. "You... know about the cub?"

Simba nodded and said softly, "Mikazo overheard, on one of his visits some time ago, Jinamizi tell you not to do anything on a hunt to risk the birth of the cub. It was a day when two dik-diks were appealing to Jinamizi for help, according to Mikazo. Do you remember that day?"

"He was there?" Tumaini exclaimed. "Mikazo was close enough to overhear us that day?" She frowned. "How'd he take it?"

"Well... he almost attacked Jinamizi then and there," Simba admitted. "He would have, if his friend Kimada hadn't held him down and talked him out of it."

Uzuri drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Well, it seems as though we owe this Kimada our thanks. If Mikazo had attacked Jinamizi then... or now, for that matter, I simply cannot imagine him winning."

Tumaini shook her head and exchanged a look with Nuru, then said, "I'd have to agree. But Uzuri... if Mikazo is as set on fighting Jinamizi as you, Simba, say, then... how could we stop him?" She folded her ears flat against her head. "Don't get me wrong. I don't want him to fight, I really don't. But... what if he can't be talked out of it?"

"Knowing Mikazo, he can't," Nuru agreed. "So unless he's changed drastically from the young lion I remember, I don't think there's any way to stop him, no."

"No, there isn't," Simba confirmed quietly, seeing the four lionesses' distress. "He has been planning to come back and help you from the moment he was driven out; and since he found my pride about two months ago, he's been training to dethrone Jinamizi himself. He'd thought at first that maybe someone could help, but then we reminded him of the law that only one lion can challenge a pride's king at a time. If another lion helped, then that lion would be king. So like I told Mikazo, none of us can do that for him. As much as I'd like to take the risk away from Mikazo, I can't."

Uzuri's nod was a small one, but conveyed acceptance, reluctant though it was. That emotion was mirrored in the expressions of the other three. "Then..." she said, "there is nothing we can do aside from hoping for the best and asking you to give Mikazo our love." Uzuri sighed and met Simba's gaze steadily. "Please, tell Mikazo to take all the time he needs to grow, to learn, to become strong enough and learned enough to win this. Tell him that we will be fine for as long as he needs to take. And tell him, please, that when he comes back home, he will be welcomed with open arms."

Simba smiled and lowered his head to the four. "I will," he promised. "And I will do all I can to train Mikazo to the best of my abilities."

Uzuri nodded once more. "Thank you, Simba."

Cheneta heaved a deep sigh. "I guess... that's really all we can do." She paused for a moment, and then glanced back toward their cave, where Jinamizi rested. "And so... maybe we should get going on that hunt, everyone? Jinamizi's not going to like it if the hunt takes too long." She laughed briefly, more in irony than amusement. "After all, we're not exactly hunting at the moment."

"You're right," Nuru agreed. "He can be very impatient, after all, so maybe we should get on with it." She glanced at Simba. "If you're ready, of course," she added. "You don't need to help us on this hunt, though, Simba. Delivering this message was what you wanted to do, after all, and you've done that."

Simba shook his head with a smile. "Of course I'll join in."

Uzuri returned his smile and her jerked her head to indicate the Savannah. "Then we'll all be off."

Simba walked alongside Uzuri, Cheneta, Tumaini and Nuru as they all set off on the hunt.


End file.
